


Spider-Man: Positive Reinforcement

by Spideyfan62



Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Awesome Michelle Jones, Awesome Peter Parker, F/M, He's Killing It As Spider-Man Right Now, It's Going To Be A Crash Course Towards Valedictorian, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Not Spider-Man: Far From Home Mid-Credits Scene Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Peter Parker & Michelle Jones Competing In Academics, Post-Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spideychelle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spideyfan62/pseuds/Spideyfan62
Summary: He got within range and fired a web at the underside of the chopper and pulled it tightly, using the resulting momentum to launch himself up until he stuck to the chopper by both his hands and feet. He quickly maneuvered his way to the pilot side door."Excuse me, sir," he shouted, knocking on the driver door. His spider-sense wasn't going off, so they were clear enough of buildings for now for him to give the man a chance to quit willingly. "Something tells me you don't exactly have a license for this thing, so how about you make this easy and surrender now?"
Relationships: Betty Brant & Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Betty Brant/Ned Leeds, May Parker & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Dr. Curtis Connors
Series: Peter Parker's Senior Year Survival [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761355
Comments: 40
Kudos: 34





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In this chapter: chasing a helicopter, a bet between Peter and M.J, and Doc Connors is working on something new.

Peter arced his web tightly, making a hard turn to his left as he pursued the runaway helicopter. Of course, just when he was about to board his subway to school on time for once, he heard a call over the radio about some thugs holding up the First National Bank and attempting an escape. When he got there, the helicopter had already taken off, and he had been following in pursuit for the last few minutes. Whoever these guys were, they were clearly not the best pilots, as they had almost hit a couple of buildings already. If he didn't put a stop to this quickly, someone was going to get hurt, badly. 

He got within range and fired a web at the underside of the chopper and pulled it tightly, using the resulting momentum to launch himself up until he stuck to the chopper by both his hands and feet. He quickly maneuvered his way to the pilot side door. 

"Excuse me, sir," he shouted, knocking on the driver door. His spider-sense wasn't going off, so they were clear enough of buildings for now for him to give the man a chance to quit willingly. "Something tells me you don't exactly have a license for this thing, so how about you make this easy and surrender now?" 

The man responded by trying to shake him off, but Peter remained steady, his fingers and toes firmly glued to the door. The man's associates looked greatly displeased with him though, and one of them looked like he might throw up. 

"Alright, I guess it's the hard way then," Peter remarked to himself, crawling over towards the first engine in the back. If he could disable both engines quickly, he could get to a good vantage point and web up a small area to...

Spider-Sense. 

Peter turned just in time to see that they were about to hit a nearby skyscraper. Reacting on almost pure instinct, he moved quickly to the side of the helicopter and fired a web, connecting it to a nearby building. He pulled hard with both of his arms, trying to use his legs to help the chopper make a sharp turn in order to avoid the forthcoming building. 

"C'mon, C'mon!!" he yelled out, straining hard to make the desperate turn. 

Thankfully he succeeded, the helicopter likely only missing the building by inches. 

"And I thought the drivers on the ground here were bad," Peter remarked to himself as he moved back once again to disable the engines. As he tried to pull out the first one, one of the thugs opened the side door and tried to shoot him. Peter dodged the bullets almost effortlessly. 

"Dude, are you kidding me?" Peter said as he fired a web and yanked the gun towards him. "Playing with guns at home is bad enough, but in the middle of an aerial chase scene? That doesn't end well for anybody!" He crushed the gun with a squeeze before safely depositing the pieces on a rooftop they passed over, carefully wrapped in a web ball. He then tore out the first engine, getting a call from M.J. as he moved over to the next one. 

"Hey M.J; a little busy right now," he said, trying to convey the hurried nature of his situation. 

"I just need to know if you're going to be late or not," his girlfriend replied, her voice even. This wasn't surprising, given how often this kind of thing happened. 

"Shouldn't be," he responded quickly, proceeding to yank the second engine off as well. "Call you back in a sec." 

The helicopter began spinning, but Peter had already jumped off and landed on a nearby building. Quickly discerning the trajectory of the machine's descent, Peter went to work, firing webs between two buildings in a frenzy until they formed the world's largest blanket. Sure enough, the helicopter landed on the webbed area, slowing down before bouncing up and down a little, the webbing itself sticking tightly. 

Peter let out a sigh of relief that at least this part of the job was done. He leapt onto the helicopter, ripping open the driver door. Now that he got a good enough look at the man's face without the pilot gear on, he realized he recognized him. 

"Marko?" Peter let out. "Dude, you REALLY need to stick to whatever day job you had before you went to a life of crime, because this is getting ridiculous!" This was the 3rd time that Peter had busted Flint Marko for some kind of petty crime, but the guy ALWAYS broke out somehow, utilizing any opportunity given to him. The man might not be the best helicopter pilot, but Peter had learned Marko was a lot more clever than he was lead to believe. 

He pulled the four men in the helicopter out and tied them by web to a lamppost, leaving just in time for the cops to arrive. Sure enough, one of them was Yuri, who looked up at the helicopter, then looked back at Peter with an perplexed expression that almost offended him. 

"What?" he said, throwing his arms up. "You work with what you get, right?" With that, he fired a web in the direction of school. He fortunately made good time, collapsing into his desk just before the final bell rang. He slumped over and buried his face in his folded arms for a moment before looking over at M.J, who was sitting at the desk to his right, giving him a curious look that expressed a little teasing mixed with concern. 

"Don't ask," he said before burying his face again. 

Fortunately, the first half of the day actually went surprisingly smooth. His first week and a half back since Christmas break hadn't been the best so far, as he had been late three times already, but it seemed making it on time was the start of a good day. Classes went smooth, Brad and Flash both stayed off his back, and by the time lunch rolled around, he was already feeling pretty good, even with a physics test coming up first thing afterwards. Physics was his best subject though, so he had no real concerns. 

As usual, Peter, Ned, M.J. and Betty all sat down at their usual table and began talking about whatever came to mind as they ate. Suddenly, Ned remembered something.

"Hey guys, so we're all still on for Friday night, right?" he asked with a look on his face that showed he was likely way too concerned about this. 

"Yeah man, we're good," Peter said, chuckling a little at his best friend's worry over the collapse of their plans. "Don't worry." 

"Okay," Ned said, looking a little relieved before raising another question: "What movie are we going to watch?" 

"Something sci-fi sounds good," Peter said before taking a bite of his sandwich. 

"Nah," M.J. said dismissively. "Something horror sounds better." 

"I've been wanting to try a good horror movie recently," Betty added. 

"I'm with Peter on this one," Ned said, smiling over at Peter. 

"Of course you are," Betty said, rolling her eyes. 

Peter smiled, because OF COURSE his good buddy would back his opinion! 

"Okay, so how are we going to decide this?" M.J. asked, Peter observing as her eyes darted around the table. "I know how you boys get once your heart is set on a particular type of movie, so I want to make sure this is a fair thing here." 

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part," Ned said, Peter noticing he was avoiding M.J.'s eyes as he spoke. "But yeah, how are we going to settle this?" 

"I have an idea," M.J, said, suddenly turning her eyes to Peter. He could see a fire in her eyes, and it made his heart do somersaults in his chest. For real, how did she do that? 

"What do you have in mind?" Peter asked her, almost swallowing in nervous anticipation. 

"How confident do you feel about that Physics test we have next period?" she said, her words laced with challenge. 

"Hold up," Peter said, setting his sandwich down and turning so that his whole body was facing his girlfriend. He knew where this was going already. "Let me get this straight: you want to go up against me, in my best subject, on a test?"

"That's right, dork," M.J. replied, and Peter saw no confidence waver from her face at all. "Whoever gets the highest grade on the test gets to pick."

Peter gave her a look before turning to the others. "Does this sound good to you?" he asked Betty and Ned. 

"Sounds good to me," Betty replied. "My money's on M.J." 

"Girl, Peter's THE GUY when it comes to physics," Ned defended before turning back to Peter. "This sounds like a sure thing for us, bro. Let's do it."

"Alright," Peter responded, turning back to M.J. She extended her hand, and he took and shook it, and thus the deal was done. 

"No crying when I beat you," M.J. teased. 

"We'll see who has to worry about that," Peter retaliated, offering a playful wink to his girlfriend. 

Realizing they only had a few minutes left to finish their food, they hurried up so they wouldn't be late for class. 

Peter walked out of school that day feeling pretty good about the bet. He was still smiling to himself when he got to the lab later, but his expression changed to one of curiosity when Dr. Connors wasn't around at first glance. He went up to the office and found the doc slouched over his desk, either passed out or fast asleep. Peter ran over to him, shaking him awake. 

"Doc, you okay?" Peter asked as the man slowly started to rise. He knew the doc had been working particularly hard on a project recently, but the last time he had seen him like this...

"Oh, hello Peter," Connors said like it was no big deal. 

"What were you working on so hard that you passed out over your desk again?" Peter inquired. 

"A special project." 

Peter gave the doc a skeptical look, and Connors' facial expression told him that he realized how that sounded. 

"Don't worry Peter," the doc assured him, now fully rising out of his seat. "It has to do with what we've been working on with the plant specimens in here." 

Peter relaxed a little bit. "Okay, good. What kind of project?" 

"I'll explain in more detail when I'm a little further along. However, I have a feeling you're going to like this one," Connors assured him. 

This was good enough for Peter, so he decided to set his backpack down and begin his usual duties. As the afternoon wore on, he would occasionally try and pry something out of the doc about whatever this top secret project was, but Connors wouldn't budge. Eventually, Peter gave up, deciding to exercise a virtue he often had trouble with: patience. 

After the lab, Peter went out to do a little evening patrolling. In the aftermath of the Goblin's brief rule over the criminal underworld, things had been pretty chaotic over the holidays, but things were starting to quiet down just a little. He still kept pretty busy, stopping an arms deal, two hold ups, and a few assaults as well. He was about ready to turn in for the night when he got a call from Yuri. 

"What's going on, partner?" Peter asked as he swung through the Financial District. 

"Spider-Man, Flint Marko has escaped again."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. 
> 
> "Again?" he asked.
> 
> "Yes, again," Yuri replied, the annoyance in her voice making Peter feel a little guilty. 
> 
> "Sorry," he apologized. "What happened?" 
> 
> "Apparently," Yuri started, the annoyance still evident in her voice, "when he was being moved, he overpowered the officer who was with him and stole his uniform, disguising himself as one of our own in order to get out unnoticed. We found the officer about 5 minutes ago; one of the janitors found him in a cleaning closet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Flint Marko experiences a startling transformation and the results are in for the bet between Peter and M.J.

Peter honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. 

"Again?" he asked.

"Yes, again," Yuri replied, the annoyance in her voice making Peter feel a little guilty. 

"Sorry," he apologized. "What happened?" 

"Apparently," Yuri started, the annoyance still evident in her voice, "when he was being moved, he overpowered the officer who was with him and stole his uniform, disguising himself as one of our own in order to get out unnoticed. We found the officer about 5 minutes ago; one of the janitors found him in a cleaning closet." 

"Wow," was all Peter could find in himself to say. Marko may not have been the best pilot, but he was clearly a determined man who seized any opportunity given to him. Peter made sure to keep that in mind for the next time they met. 

"You have any leads on where he might be headed?" he asked as he fired another web, swinging through the city. 

"We know he had a couple of hideouts from previous arrests," Yuri offered. At least they had something to go on. "I figured we could divide and conquer; you check out the location in the Upper West Side, and I'll check the one in Harlem." 

"Copy that, partner," Peter affirmed as he pulled his web tight to pivot his swing in a new direction. "Send me the location." 

Within minutes, Peter was coming upon the location: a vacant apartment complex. Now that he thought about it, he remembered that this building was shut down a year ago due to too many health violations. "These guys sure know how to pick em," Peter remarked to himself as he released his web, flying in feet first through an open window and landing in a crouched position. Yuri had said that he was looking for apartment #511. She had said it belonged to one of Marko's partners before it got shut down. Peter walked up to the door, looking to see what number he was at, which turned out to be #526. He walked out of the room and down the hall, glancing at the doors until he found #511. 

He turned his head slightly to the left, tuning his enhanced hearing to listen for even a heartbeat. When it picked up nothing and his spider-sense was silent as could be, he grabbed the handle and twisted. He encountered momentary resistance since the door was locked, but it only took minimal additional effort for him to break the lock and enter the room. 

Peter did a quick scan of the area. There was no furniture inside the apartment, so it was nothing more than an average sized (for New York, at least) living space. He checked in cabinets, a couple of compartments in the ceiling, and even in the shower space, but found nothing except a couple of rats. He set his mask lenses to do a full scan of the environment just to make sure, but there was nothing. 

Deciding he had wasted enough time, he tapped his mask to contact Yuri. 

"Please tell me you are having more luck than I am," he asked as he perched himself on the window sill. 

"Nothing," Yuri remarked. 

"Don't worry, Yuri," Peter said, trying to be optimistic. "These guys always slip up somehow. Marko's clever, but he makes mistakes. We'll get him." 

"Yeah, and I intend to make sure we keep him this time," Yuri added. 

"I sure hope so. Until tomorrow, partner." 

With that, Peter hung up. His lone lead on Marko was dead, so he decided to call it a night and try again tomorrow. He shot a web and swung off in the direction of home. 

Flint Marko continued his long walk towards his intended destination: his old childhood home in Queens. He had long since ditched the police uniform he had used to escape, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention to himself by having some needy individual approach him and expect him to involve himself in something. He had found an old green striped shirt and an actually decent pair of tan pants in the garbage. They had to have just recently been tossed, because they didn't smell too bad, so he figured they were good enough. 

As he walked, he thought back to all the memories the house he was going to held for him. It had just been him and his father for most of his life. His mom had passed away when he was 10 years old, and her death had sent his father spiraling into alcoholism and depression. The man couldn't hold a job and would frequently berate Flint as a boy. 

"You'll never amount to anything," his father would say, often while holding a beer. "You'll always miss the mark." 

He had vowed to never be like his father and had put tremendous effort into making it in the world, by whatever means necessary. If he could just one day find decent help, maybe he would. 

Flint had been walking for hours when he came across what appeared to be an abandoned research facility. He had decided against taking the subway or a bus for fear of being recognized and caught, so he had opted to take the long way. He looked around, and when he decided it looked deserted enough, he climbed the fence, landing on the other side. Cutting straight through this area instead of going around would save him a good amount of time. 

As he strode across the grounds, he came across a large pit, and he peaked down in it out of curiosity, only to find a bunch of sand inside. 

"That's what these losers were working with?" he scoffed, shaking his head. 

Suddenly, he heard a noise, and he spun around. Nobody was there. Still he heard something else, spinning the other direction. The hairs on his neck stood on edge as he frantically scanned the area. He heard the noise once more. As he moved around, constantly pivoting, he startled himself momentarily when he bumped into an old control panel. There was the sound of a machine slowly starting up; it looked like it was actually descending into the pit. 

He was distracted from this by the noise again, frantically spinning around and trying to trace the noise back to its source. 

Whatever it took, he was not going back to jail again. 

He finally discovered the source of the noise: two squirrels frantically came running out into the open, the one behind frantically chirping away at the other one. Flint could only let out a chuckle at himself; he was so paranoid about going back to jail that he let a couple of squirrels freak him out. He turned to leave, but his first step never connected, and he realized too late that he had been standing right next to the empty pit of sand. He landed with a hard thud, letting out a groan as he hit the ground. He was hurting but not too bad. There must have been a lot more sand than he had initially thought, because a fall that far should've at least broken something. 

The sound of a low humming noise made him realize he wasn't out of the woods yet though. He looked up to see the three pronged device he had accidentally activated descend around him, suddenly ramping up speed. He momentarily contemplated trying to make a quick go at getting in between the rotations of the device, but this thought was quickly dashed as the device sped up even faster. Sand started flying everywhere, and he covered his face with his hands to protect his eyes. He felt a painful stinging sensation as thousands of particles of sand struck him all at once, but after a moment, he started feeling...strange, and somehow lighter than before. He his hands were suddenly not covering his face before, despite him not having moved them. He opened his eyes to see that his hand was DISSOLVING...into sand. He looked around, noticing the same was true of his side and legs. Suddenly, he let out a cry of pain as his whole body transformed likewise, before he finally passed out. 

"Alright class, I have your test results from yesterday," Peter's Physics teacher, Ms. Warren, announced to the class. Peter practically had to fight from bouncing in his seat with anticipation; he was really curious to see the results, given what was at stake. "I must say, I was very impressed with most of you." 

"I'll bet I got the highest grade, didn't I Ms. Warren?" Flash asked. He was sitting two rows ahead, so Peter couldn't see him, but he didn't need to in order to picture the smug, proud expression on Flash's face. 

"You did pretty good Flash," Ms. Warren informed him, and Peter could see her fighting annoyance in her expression. "However, you did not get the highest grade. Perhaps finishing it first was not be wisest move." 

She then proceeded to start handing the tests back one by one. Peter was towards the back, so it took a moment, but he finally got his test back. He looked over at M.J, who had a huge smile on her face. Peter offered a smaller one of his own before looking away. He did not want to give her any hints about his score. 

After class was over, Peter and M.J. met up with Ned and Betty just outside the classroom. 

"So?" the two of them asked together. Wow. 

"You first, since you looked so confident earlier," Peter said as he gestured to M.J. 

"Whatever you say," M.J. said, her smile morphing into a more serious expression. "Just don't cry too hard," she said as she turned over to reveal her score: 98. 

"Oh wow, nice work M.J!" Betty exclaimed. 

"I must say, I really am having trouble holding back tears right now," Peter said, looking down for a moment before meeting M.J.'s eyes again as he continued, "because of just how painfully close you got." He then turned his test over to reveal his score: 100. 

M.J. leaned her head back, letting out an audible groan as her arms fell to her side. Peter could only smile as he watched this scene, though he made sure it wasn't too big. He liked winning, but he tried not to gloat too much when he did.

"Yes!" Ned said as Peter observed him pump his fist in celebration. "Now, if you'll excuse us ladies, Peter and I need to discuss which of our favorite sci-fi movies we will be treating you ladies to before next period." Ned put his arm around Peter's shoulders and lead him away so they could discuss this in private, but Peter pulled away for a moment, walking back to M.J. 

"Nice job though," he offered, hoping she wouldn't take it as him being condescending. She just stared at him for a moment, something resembling a scowl on her face, before leaning and bumping his shoulder with her own. 

"Don't worry, there's always next time," she said with a playful smile as her and Betty walked away. 

Flint Marko slowly stirred awake. All he could think about was the terrible dream he had last night, but when he tried to get up, he was reminded that it wasn't a dream as he literally fell apart. Focusing as hard as he could, he reconstituted enough of himself to at least do something resembling sitting up. He held out his arms, examining them. They, like the rest of his body, were now completely made of sand. He clenched his fists as best he could, almost striking the ground before him in anger, when it suddenly hit him: maybe there could be an upside to this. He was made of sand now; he could pass through metal detectors without setting them off. Theoretically, he probably couldn't be stabbed, shot, or webbed...that last one might come in particularly handy. 

First thing was first though, he needed to make sure he could pull himself together enough to be able to stand. Concentrating as best as he could, he slowly rose as more of the sand formed one leg, then another. He could absorb sand too. That was good to know. He moved one foot forward, then the other, then the first one again. As he moved forward one wobbly step at a time, he glanced down to see that his clothes and skin colors were being restored as well. 

Perhaps what he had initially thought of as a sick turn of bad luck might actually be a blessing in disguise; the big opportunity he needed, even. 

With a little practice, he would figure out how to utilize his new body, and soon, nobody would be able to stop him, especially Spider-Man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! I know I've jumped into the villain's story earlier on than normal, but I have a few different elements that I want to explore in this story, so stay tuned. 
> 
> Thanks to those who left kudos on the last chapter, and thanks to the two who left comments as well. I greatly appreciate your feedback, and I hope you all continue to enjoy! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "When I came to you..." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You still keeping May's nephew in line?" Joan asked as she selected a piece to move. 
> 
> "Doing the best I can, but it's not easy," M.J. teased as she observed the move her opponent made, already preparing a counter measure in her head. 
> 
> "Seriously though, you two seem to make a wonderful couple," Joan said, her tone going from sarcastic to sweet. "Normally I wouldn't be much for kids these days trying to get together so young, but something is different with you two."
> 
> "What do you mean?" M.J. asked, moving her next piece. She looked up to Joan with a curious expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: a chess game, M.J. trying to help, and a healthy dose of Spideychelle.

As M.J. entered one of the common area rooms of the community center, she was greeted by a familiar face. 

"M.J. sweetheart, how are you?" came the voice of Joan, sitting at her usual table. 

"I'm doing fine, thanks," M.J. responded, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table. This had become a regular thing for M.J. She would always check in with May first, just to make sure there was nothing of particular urgency that needed done first, then she would come to visit Joan at their usual table. Sometimes she would draw for her, sometimes they would play chess (Joan said she felt smart and sophisticated for choosing it over checkers), or often they would just sit and chat. M.J. would make sure to keep an eye out for if anyone else in the room needed anything as well while she was there. 

"How's your arthritis been recently?" M.J. added as she got settled in her seat, leaving her backpack on the side of the chair, just under the table. 

"It's actually been pretty good recently, thank you," Joan said. M.J. observed the smile on the elder woman's face; anytime Joan smiled, it looked like she lost 10 years off of her life. She seemed younger and full of life when she was happy. 

"Are you feeling up for some chess?" M.J. said, already leaning to pick up her backpack, which contained the chess set. 

"As long as you can handle my beating you again," Joan added, offering a teasing wink. 

"Oh, we'll see about that," M.J. retorted, unzipping her backpack and removing the chess set, setting it on the table. She was grateful that Joan had come to feel comfortable enough with her where they could trade little barbs back and forth, especially when it came to chess. M.J. got the game set up, and before they knew it, they had settled into a game. 

"You still keeping May's nephew in line?" Joan asked as she selected a piece to move. 

"Doing the best I can, but it's not easy," M.J. teased as she observed the move her opponent made, already preparing a counter measure in her head. 

"Seriously though, you two seem to make a wonderful couple," Joan said, her tone going from sarcastic to sweet. "Normally I wouldn't be much for kids these days trying to get together so young, but something is different with you two."

"What do you mean?" M.J. asked, moving her next piece. She looked up to Joan with a curious expression. 

"I can't quite put a finger on it," Joan started, looking for her next move. "But you two seem to get it somehow. They say opposites attract; and in your and Peter's case, I think that's very true." 

"I appreciate that," M.J. said, observing Joan's next move, "but I'm still not sure I understand." 

"Okay, well let me put it this way," Joan said, M.J. listening intently while still considering her next move. "Would you say that Peter is an optimist?" 

"Absolutely," M.J. affirmed, selecting and moving her next piece before looking back to the older woman. "Sometimes a little too much, but it's one of the main things I like I about him."

"Exactly," Joan said, not bothering to look at the board as she continued. "He always tends to see the good in the world; in everything. You however seem to be more realistic in how you see things. You may be young, but you seem to have a little more understanding of how the world works, and you take that in. Am I right?" 

M.J. looked down at the table for a moment. Compared to Peter, she was basically a cynic. They had both suffered tremendous tragedy, and she could see in his eyes how the last several months' events had begun to get to him. Still, Peter persisted in seeing the good in the world. It was like positivity was just woven into his being from the womb, and when you grow up with a woman like May, that basically seals it. 

She, however, was far from that. M.J. viewed the world for what it was: often cruel and unforgiving, even though it wasn't without good. All her life, she had worked hard to seize every opportunity she could, because it seemed like life was against her, from her father's death, to her mother working non-stop, to everything...

M.J. realized both that Joan had made her next move and that she herself had not yet responded to her question, which Joan seemed to notice as well. 

"I'm terribly sorry if I was too bold dear," Joan said. 

"No, it's fine," M.J. affirmed as she scanned the table for her next move. "I would say that's a fair assessment." 

"But see, you two both need those things," Joan said, M.J. detecting a rising enthusiasm in her voice. "His positive nature provides your life with a little more hope and joy, but at the same time, you keep him grounded and make sure he doesn't lose his head in the clouds." 

M.J. leaned back in her seat, looking just down to the side, eyes squinting a little as the thought. She realized she had never thought about it that way before. Peter's hope and joy in spite of dire circumstances was indeed an inspiration to her. She often thought of him when she would get upset at how something went, or her day just wasn't going well. However, more than once, she had had to bring Peter back down to earth as well. She smiled a light smile as she sat back up. 

"How do you know all this about us?" M.J. asked. "You haven't known Peter or myself that long." 

"You two remind me so much of how my husband and I were," Joan said, her eyes trained on the board. "When we met, he was very much the happy go lucky one, and I was the cynical one. As the years went by, we came closer towards meeting in the middle, but the difference was always there. We appreciated those things in each other though. Oh, and by the way, checkmate." 

M.J. looked down at the table and her eyes widened, realizing she hadn't even seen what was happening. 

"You did it again," M.J. said as she stared into the eyes of her opponent. 

"What can I say," Joan said, leaning back in her chair with her chin held high. "I got you talking again." 

M.J. had discovered this tended to be the pattern: when they were silent or just having light conversation, she would win. However, any time they got into something deeper, Joan won. Of course, it was likely more than coincidence that the older woman usually initiated the deeper talks. 

"One of these days," M.J. said, leaning forward and looking intently into Joan's eyes, "I'm going to manage to have one of our little life lesson talks and come out on top." 

"You can try," Joan replied before letting out a little chuckle, which M.J. matched. 

"Well, as fun as this was, May is expecting some new materials coming in that need to get put away anytime, so I better go see if she needs help," M.J. said as she packed up the chess set and put it into her backpack. She rose from her seat but turned to face the lady once more. 

"Oh, and Joan?" 

"Yes dear?" the lady replied. 

"Thanks," M.J. said. 

"For beating you? Oh, that was my pleasure," Joan replied, adding a knowing wink for good measure. M.J. just smiled and shook her head as she threw her backpack over her shoulders and turned to leave the room. 

She was on her way to May's office upstairs when she caught sight of a young girl, likely around 10, sitting by herself in the main lobby area. Deciding she could spare a moment, M.J. walked up to the girl. She appeared to be working on some homework. 

"Hey," M.J. said, trying to introduce herself. The girl didn't even acknowledge her. 

"What are you working on there?" M.J. asked, hoping a question might help somehow. 

"Homework," the young girl responded. 

"Do you need any help?" M.J. offered. "I'm pretty good at math." 

"No, I'm good." Once again, the girl didn't even so much as shift in her seat. 

"Okay, well, my name's Michelle, if you need anything," M.J. said, already turning to head towards the stairs behind her to May's office. The little girl didn't respond again, so she decided to go ahead up. It was such a small interaction, but the thought of it bugged M.J. the whole way to her destination. She was just trying to help, after all, but she found herself unable to blame the girl, perhaps because she saw a little bit of herself too. She had mellowed out some since even up to sophomore year, when she would stick to herself most of the time. She had really come to enjoy spending time with the people she cared about, but she still often had her moments where she just didn't want to have anything to do with anybody. 

When she arrived, May was sitting in her office with a bunch of supplies sitting in fresh boxes piled up along the far wall. M.J. gave a couple knocks against the open door, getting May to look up from the papers she was examining on her desk. 

"Oh M.J; perfect timing," May said, getting out of her seat. "These were just delivered. Peter should be here any minute too to help with these boxes. 

"Ta Da!" M.J. suddenly heard behind her. She turned to see Peter walking up and standing next to her in the door way. "Say my name and I magically appear!" 

"Alright Mr. Magician," May teased, "Let's see if you can make these boxes disappear," she said, gesturing towards the stack of boxes, grouped by sections. 

"Just point us in the right direction," M.J. said. Her and Peter followed May up to them and listened carefully about where each box was supposed to go. Once they had their assignments, they put the boxes on a cart, and Peter lead the two of them out the door. 

"How's it been going here today?" Peter asked her once they got out into the hallway. 

"Oh fine, except Joan beat me in chess earlier," M.J. said. 

"Seems like you have a streak of bad luck going for ya this week," Peter teased, and the dork actually had the audacity to glance over and wink at her! 

"Oh, that's how it is?" M.J. said, reaching across the cart full of boxes to give him a punch on the arm. 

"No, not really," Peter said with a small laugh. "She's beat me a few times too. I know how good she is." 

"Definitely," M.J. added as she sped up to enter the room ahead of Peter in order to open the closet where some of the stuff went. 

"Joan also wanted to make sure I was keeping you in line," M.J. added as they began unloading a couple boxes into the closet. 

"Pfff," Peter retorted, M.J. observing as he gave her a skeptical look. "Like I need to be kept in line." 

"You absolutely do, and I think May would agree," M.J. answered back, her trademark smirk showing on her face. 

"Hey now, that's not fair," Peter complained. 

"Aww, what's the matter, Mr. Superhero?" M.J. taunted. "Can't handle a couple of confident, powerful women in your life?" 

"Says the one who lost our bet," Peter teased back. 

"By 2 points," M.J. emphasized, "and don't worry, I'll get another chance." 

"Whatever you say," Peter noted before adding, "in all fairness, if you, May and Pepper all conspired to rule the world together, I don't know if even the Avengers could stop you." 

"Glad you've come to accept that, cause it's definitely happening," M.J. said, her nonchalant attitude coming on strong. 

"Good thing I've already got my bunker all set up, so I can hide in a place free of your tyranny," Peter said, looking at her with both the sassiest and cutest expression she'd ever seen. 

M.J. laughed a little, but then her mind returned to the girl she had met earlier. For some reason, she just kept coming back.

"Oh, by the way," M.J. started, changing up the subject, "do you know who that girl was sitting by herself in the lobby?" 

"You probably mean Deja," Peter answered. "The one with her hair in a really long braid?" 

"Yeah," M.J. responded. 

"That's her alright," Peter confirmed. By now, they had exited the room and were headed down the hall to her next destination. 

"What do you know about her?" M.J. inquired. 

"Not much," Peter admitted. "She comes with the other kids who get dropped off after school, but she always seems to prefer to sit out there by herself."

"I tried to talk to her earlier, but she seemed very focused on her homework," M.J. said, her gaze straight ahead as she thought back to the young girl's demeanor from earlier. 

"If you guys could ever get to know each other, I think she'd really like you," Peter added as they turned a hallway corner. 

"Honestly, she kind of reminds me of how I was," M.J. said, her tone a little somber. "It's always been easier to bury myself in my homework, a book, etc." 

"I think you should keep trying," Peter added, adding a smile with his words that made M.J.'s heart do somersaults in her chest. 

"You really think so?" M.J. asked. 

"I do," Peter affirmed. "I think you have more of an opportunity there than you realize." 

M.J. thought about this as they arrived to the next box drop off point. She had never exactly tried something like this before, but she couldn't help but feel that it was something she needed to do. 

As she helped put away the boxes, she made up her mind that she was going to try and break through to the girl, whatever it took.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always wanted to come back to M.J.'s volunteer work. I feel like I abandoned that after Endangered Species, so I have a full arc for M.J. planned around her work here, and I can't wait to dive into it! Hope you all like it! 
> 
> Feel free to let me know what you thought in the comments. I am open to any and all opinions, good or bad. 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "What good is it, my brothers and sisters..." James 2:14-26.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Marko, again?" Peter remarked. "Well, you're persistent, and not easy to keep down, I'll give you those things. Unfortunately, I believe this is the part where I arrest you, again." He jumped down so that he was an arm's length away from the man. To his surprise Marko just smiled. It wasn't a grossly excessive and creepy smile, like the Goblin's, but rather one that indicated there might be something the man knew that Peter didn't. 
> 
> "Spider-Man, glad you could come," Marko said, lightly dropping the bags to the ground on his sides. "I've got something that I've been wanting to show you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Marko practices his newfound abilities, followed by Peter having his first encounter with the newly christened "Sandman."

Flint Marko smashed yet another old, worn out vehicle. Having spent the last several hours at an old junkyard, he had plenty of opportunities to test the extent of his powers. He had discovered that he could stretch and extend his limbs into various sand structures, he could harden his body so that it became like concrete, and he could just as easily become several little pieces of sand that could travel with the wind. However, his favorite power he had tested was the ability to make weapon-like constructs out of his fists. He had smashed vehicle after vehicle by forming his hands and arms into hammers, sharp edges, maces, etc. 

Usually Flint was not one for wanton destruction; in fact, he had prided himself during his criminal career on only causing the damage necessary to get in, get what he came for, and get out. Efficiency was his staple. Yet, he found himself enjoying the sheer power and force he could exert on things. Cars, trucks, even old buses crumbled as he laid into them with hardened constructs. As he kept this up, he smiled a wide smile, as if he were a kid in a candy store. 

However, at the same time, there was a part of him that knew he couldn't become overconfident. After all, Spider-Man was still out there. In addition to his many defeats at the wall crawler's hands, Flint was also aware of Spider-Man's various exploits, especially over the last several months: taking down Mysterio, Hammerhead and the Green Goblin while also surviving things such as an entire building coming down around him. The webbed vigilante didn't go down easily and had taken care of business against people far superior in power to him, such as the Rhino on the Brooklyn Bridge a few months ago. 

Flint knew if he was going to take care of the only true reason for his past failures, he had to know exactly what he could do, and he had to make the smartest and most efficient use of that knowledge. 

"Soon, Spider-Man," he said, enlarging his hand until it was a huge, five-fingered piece of sand. He grabbed an old tire in that hand. "Soon, you will no longer stand in my way." He then crushed the tire as if it was paper, smiling as he did so. 

It was getting dark, so he decided it was time to set out to a bank and test his new abilities for real. 

Maybe, just maybe, he might run into a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man along the way. 

After Peter had gotten done helping out at the shelter, he realized he still had some evening left, so he set out to do a little late night patrolling. As he swung around Manhattan, he was shocked at how quiet it was. He and Yuri had been working over time on trying to clean up the Goblin's mess, so he wasn't exactly complaining about having a smooth night. However, this kind of thing had happened before. Deep down, he knew better; this was all just a prelude before something, somewhere, went wrong. 

When he had been out and about in the city and done nothing more than help out a restaurant employee carry in a fresh shipment, Peter finally let himself think about heading home and turning in early. He decided to call in with Yuri first, just to make sure nothing was going on. He landed on a section of the Chrysler building, standing on an edge as he tapped the side of his mask to dial his partner. 

"Are you as bored as I am?" Yuri asked in a tone laced with sarcasm. Peter couldn't help but laugh a little at how he thought his new partner on the force and his girlfriend would get along if they met.

"When you're a costumed character that everyone has an opinion about, you never really get bored," Peter offered in response, "but it is unusually quiet tonight. I presume then that there's nothing on your end either?" 

"Nope; all's quiet. Maybe I can actually take a vacation for the first time in years," Yuri replied. Peter could hear how tired she really was. Both of them had been working themselves like crazy over the last few weeks, but Yuri wasn't the one with powers. He had developed a tremendous amount of respect for her in their short time working together. 

"If anyone deserves that, it's you Yuri," Peter kindly noted. 

"Thanks," Yuri said, and her voice sounded very genuine and accepting. She wasn't exactly one who wore their emotions on their sleeve, but every once in a while she would either say something surprisingly nice or kindly accept a compliment. 

"Well, if nothing's happening, I guess I'll just..."

"Hold on," Yuri said, interrupting him. For a moment there was just some background noise. "It sounds like there's a robbery happening at the same place you busted Marko at the other day. It gets weird though, because according to reports, there's some kind of...sandstorm?" 

"Luckily, weird is my specialty," Peter commented, rubbing his hands together, less to warm himself up (the recent installation of a heating system in his suit helped with that), and more to hype himself up. "I'm on my way." 

Peter showed up at the reported location, but found no signs of a sandstorm. Whoever this was hadn't bothered to use the door, as the main window was shattered, with shards of glass all over the place. He perched on a nearby streetlight, just in time to see a familiar face walk out of the window with a bag in each hand. 

"Marko, again?" Peter remarked. "Well, you're persistent, and not easy to keep down, I'll give you those things. Unfortunately, I believe this is the part where I arrest you, again." He jumped down so that he was an arm's length away from the man. To his surprise Marko just smiled. It wasn't a grossly excessive and creepy smile, like the Goblin's, but rather one that indicated there might be something the man knew that Peter didn't. 

"Spider-Man, glad you could come," Marko said, lightly dropping the bags to the ground on his sides. "I've got something that I've been wanting to show you." 

Suddenly, Marko's fists became huge and...looked like they were made of sand? Peter was distracted by this revelation and barely had time to dodge the swing Marko took at his head, were it not for his spider-sense working in tandem with his speed and reflexes. As he bent down, the giant fist passed just over his face, and yep, that was definitely sand. Marko then reached out with the same fist and grabbed him by his stomach, tossing him so that he smashed into a nearby parked trucked, knocking the vehicle over on its side. Peter recovered quickly, getting into a position on the truck where he was ready for the next attack. 

"What reality show gave you THAT makeover?" Peter said, trying to not let the growing concern in his mind show in his voice. 

"I suppose you could call it an identity makeover," Marko said as he walked towards Peter, forming a hammer with his right fist. "Which is why you can call me Sandman from now on." 

"That's a little on the nose, don't you think?" Peter questioned. He leapt out of the way of Sandman's attack, grabbed onto a lamppost and spun himself back towards this "Sandman" feet first. However, Sandman must've anticipated this, once more grabbing him with an enlarged sand hand by his legs and tossing him towards a building across the street. Peter fired a web from each hand, each one latching onto the street. He pulled himself back to Sandman, and performed a roundhouse kick to his opponents legs, causing them to crumble into a pile of sand, leaving only Sandman's upper body. His opponent reacted quicker than Peter anticipated, latching onto him with some kind of tendrils until he had a clump of sand wrapped tightly around his waste. Peter punched at the sand, but it simply reformed, just as Sandman's legs had as well. 

"Nowhere to go, huh web head?" Sandman taunted. He lifted Peter up, preparing to slam him into the ground. Thinking quickly, Peter webbed a nearby manhole cover, pulling it hard and causing it to sever the sand in the middle, cutting off his opponents grip on him. The sand around his waist fell loosely from his body as he landed on his feet. Peter braced himself for another attack, but both he and Sandman were distracted by the arrival of Yuri and another cop. Both she and the other cop got out and drew their guns on Sandman. 

"Freeze Marko!" Yuri yelled. To Peter's surprise, Marko put his hands up, but it wasn't long before he could tell what the man was doing: Sandman completely transformed into a pile of sand and slithered underneath the truck that had been overturned earlier, then suddenly launched it into the air towards Yuri. 

Moving quickly, Peter launched himself into the air, firing a web and pulling himself to the truck's roof. Timing it just right, Peter placed his feet on the ground, his arms and shoulders supporting the weight of the upside down vehicle. Yuri had fallen as Peter landed, and now she was looking up at him with a little shock, which quickly turned to her usual tough look. 

"Thanks," she offered, quickly getting up. 

"No problem," Peter said, quickly turning around and setting the vehicle down. He then turned his attention to Sandman again. 

"Ready for another round?" Peter called out, hoping to aggravate his enemy and make him do something foolish. At the very least, he could keep the Sandman trained on him. However, to his surprise, Sandman now looked...off. He couldn't put a finger on it, but his opponent didn't look quite as upbeat and ready for a fight as he did earlier. 

"Nah, this has been fun and all, but I've got other places to be, and more banks to rob," Sandman said, before grabbing the money. Turning himself into nothing but a bunch of sand, he flew away with the night wind, the money lost in it all. 

Peter then turned to Yuri. "Well, guess the reports weren't wrong. I'm going after him." He swung off to the corner Sandman had turned, but to his surprise, there wasn't a piece of sand in sight. He quickly hurried to the top of a building for a bird's eye view of the surrounding area, but there was nothing. The man must've transformed back into...well, a man, and set out on foot from there. 

"You picked up his trail?" he suddenly heard Yuri say through his mask. 

"He must've become human again, cause I don't see a speck of sand anywhere," Peter said, a little disheartened. How could Flint Marko, Sandman or not, give him the slip like this? 

"Well, the good news is he now has a very specific M.O." Yuri offered, "So when he strikes again, there's no way we won't know." 

"Your right," Peter acknowledged. It would be hard to miss someone like Sandman during a robbery. Next time, he was going to make sure he couldn't get another chance. He and Yuri agreed to pick up the trail the next day, and so he swung off for home. 

With M.J. and her mom still living in the apartment with May and him, Peter had taken to leaving a bag of clothes in an alley near his apartment. That way, he could change and enter through the front door and not arouse suspicion in M.J.'s mom by suddenly appearing in the apartment. After putting on freezing clothes the first couple of times, he and Ned ended up putting together a little portable heater that he could stick in his bag that would keep his clothes warm with no risk of accidentally burning something. 

Peter changed quickly; once he took the suit off, all the heat went with it, and he didn't much care for the cold January night air. He stuffed his suit in the bag and headed up to his apartment building. 

"Glad you finally made it," May remarked as soon as Peter had entered the living room. She was in the kitchen and Peter also noticed M.J. in the living room, reading a book. 

"Yeah, its been a weird night," Peter said as he set his backpack down against the wall next to the door. 

"Well, I think I finally got down that homemade pizza recipe earlier, so if you want, I can heat some up for you?" May offered. 

"That sounds great," Peter said, rubbing his hands together (this time more due to the cold). He then went over to M.J, who had set her book down and turned to face him. He leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the lips. 

"Your lips are freezing," M.J. remarked. 

"Thanks, captain obvious," Peter retorted. He then went up and enjoyed a hot shower, though he made sure not to stay in too long, since he had more to share it with than just May these days. Since M.J.'s mom wasn't with everybody else, he figured she was in bed, but that still left the others. He put on a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts for pajamas and headed back down to the living room, following the wonderful smell of pizza. Even when it was leftover, it was still one of his favorite foods. He went and grabbed his plate, taking it over to his usual spot on their table. May and M.J. both promptly came over and joined him, with the former sitting across and the latter sitting next to him. 

He proceeded to tell them about Flint Marko's sudden transformation and the new problem he now had on his hands as a result. 

"Oh great; Ned's going to have a field day with that one," M.J. remarked, rolling her eyes, causing Peter to let out a chuckle. He knew that was very true. 

"Any idea how you plan to stop him?" May asked. 

"Nope," Peter admitted. His mind had already been stirring up some theories, but nothing concrete just yet. Changing the subject, he asked how things went at the shelter in the scheme of the whole day. 

"Pretty good," May replied to that. "Alexandra worked herself to death today; she went to our Harlem, Upper East Side and Chinatown centers to make sure all the food we made was good. She went to bed almost as soon as we all got home!" 

"Wow, she seems to really enjoy the job," Peter remarked before taking another bite of leftover pizza. May really had gotten the recipe down. 

"You're telling me," M.J. remarked. "All she can talk about is how much better this is than corporate work and how she is NEVER going back. I think she feels she's actually making a difference this way, you know?" 

"Makes sense," Peter remarked as he forced himself to swallow before continuing, "you had to get a heart like that from somewhere." He felt enormous satisfaction at M.J.'s instant blush. 

"Definitely," May added, "in fact, I can't tell you guys how big a help you both were today. It would've taken me FOREVER to put all those packages in the right spots!" 

"Just doing what we were taught, May," Peter remarked, having just swallowed his last bite of pizza. "Well, I think I'm ready to turn in for the night." 

Everyone else agreed with this sentiment, and everyone got ready. After giving M.J. another light kiss, he turned to May. 

"Thanks for the pizza May, and for, you know, everything." 

"Thank you, Peter," May remarked. "You've been through so much, but you never stop giving me reason to be proud of you." 

"Well, that goes both ways, May," Peter said, returning the sentiment. She then pulled him into a tight hug before they said their I love yous and she headed to her room. Peter then laid down on the mattress in the middle of the living room floor. For once, there wasn't actually much homework for him to do, so he set his alarm to get up a little early and take care of it in the morning. 

As he went to bed, he couldn't help but feel grateful. He had lost so much, but he still had people looking out for him, most of all May. She had been there through it all, and sacrificed so much for his sake. He often didn't feel deserving of her love, but she gave it to him in spades anyway. 

Thinking of all the good he had in spite of the bad, Peter soon fell fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "I want you to know, brothers and sisters..." Galatians 1:11-17


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Dude, I could've come up with MUCH better material than that," Ned said as he rolled his eyes. 
> 
> "Oh yeah, like what?" M.J. challenged as she leaned on the lockers next to Peter's. 
> 
> "Like...I don't know, maybe...just give me some time to think okay!" Ned said in exasperation. Peter turned to face them both after finally closing his locker, and couldn't help but smile at his best friend's exasperated expression and his girlfriend's incredibly satisfied looking smirk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter, Ned criticizes Sandman's name, Betty comes in at a bad time, Flash returns to his old ways, and Dr. Connors' new project is revealed.

"Sandman? That's what he calls himself?" Ned asked, seemingly bewildered. 

"Yep," Peter nodded affirmatively as he grabbed his Chemistry book from his locker. Of course Ned couldn't go even 12 hours without knowing all about Peter's latest Spider-Man adventures in person, so Peter made sure to indulge his best friend early in the day when he wasn't running late. Plus, he appreciated having someone so close to him be the one to geek out over everything. In a way, it kept him humble, because his stories were less bragging sessions and more just sharing what was going on in his life with the guy who had backed him up since long before the spider bite. 

"Dude, I could've come up with MUCH better material than that," Ned said as he rolled his eyes. 

"Oh yeah, like what?" M.J. challenged as she leaned on the lockers next to Peter's. 

"Like...I don't know, maybe...just give me some time to think okay!" Ned said in exasperation. Peter turned to face them both after finally closing his locker, and couldn't help but smile at his best friend's exasperated expression and his girlfriend's incredibly satisfied looking smirk. It was little things like this that reminded him how grateful he was for his friends. 

"So how are you going to stop him?" Ned questioned as he turned his attention back to Peter. 

"Uh, I'm not sure," Peter admitted, looking up towards the ceiling as he thought. He had been thinking about ways to utilize what Sandman was made of against him, and he kept coming back to one question in particular: why did Sandman look the way he did? For most of the fight, his opponent was on point, even looking excited about the fight itself, then suddenly he looked out of sorts and a bit slower. Could he have stretched his powers to much? Had he lost too much sand? Peter knew he had to be over looking some important detail, likely something simple, he just couldn't figure out what it was. 

"Well, don't worry man, I'm sure you'll figure something out," Ned said, gently hitting Peter in the shoulder. Ned always knew how to make him feel better. 

"Thanks man, I'm sure you're right," Peter replied. 

It was right as he spoke that Betty came around the corner and approached them. 

"Right about what?" she asked, smiling and looking at all three of them. 

Peter's eyes widened for a moment before he quickly recomposed himself, about to say something along the lines of "nothing," but unfortunately Ned spoke up first. 

"Uhm, well, you see uhm..." his best friend stammered, clearly scrounging around his mind for something to say. Peter's heart skipped what felt like several beats in the matter of a second as he observed his best friend's stumbling over his words.

"Right about how much time it's going to take for them to build their new Lego Star Wars whatever," M.J. said, stepping up between Ned and Peter, likely to draw attention away from Peter and Ned and to herself. Peter couldn't help but be grateful for his girlfriend's composure under pressure in this moment. 

"You know how these two dorks are," M.J. continued. 

"Oh, well then why didn't you just say so?" Betty asked, looking at both Peter and Ned once more. 

"Oh, you know, we just didn't want to bother you with our ramblings," Ned said, Peter simply nodding in affirmation. 

"Are you saying you think I don't care about stuff like that?" Betty asked accusingly, her expression hard and her hand on her heart. 

"No, no of course not babe," Ned stammered out. 

"Relax, I'm just messing with you," Betty said, letting out a small laugh. 

"Your training is paying off," M.J. said, reaching out to high five Betty, who reciprocated. 

"Oh great," Peter said, rubbing his face with his hand. "Now there's two of them." 

"Is that a problem?" M.J. turned to ask him, her expression pointed. 

"No, of course no...oh no you don't!" Peter caught himself just before he fell into his girlfriend's trap of making him feel sorry for something he said when he didn't need to be. 

"Looks like Betty is not the only one who is learning," M.J. said, flashing Peter a proud smile that did something really weird to his stomach and suddenly made him catch his breath. He gathered himself quickly before responding.

"Well, you know...boh," Peter said, utilizing M.J.'s favorite expression with a knowing smile on his face. She clearly appreciated it as her smile got even bigger. 

"And you guys say we're bad." Ned's voice shook Peter back to reality, and he realized that he and M.J. had been staring at each other for a moment too long. 

"Hey, I think we're allowed a little staring, ESPECIALLY by you two," M.J. challenged. Ned and Betty's suddenly blushing faces indicated a nerve had been struck, and they decided to leave for their first class. 

As they walked away, Peter caught Betty taking a quick glance at he and M.J. for barely even a second, but there was something there that Peter just couldn't quite peg. He and M.J. turned to walk to 1st period Chemistry, but Betty's expression lingered in his mind. It almost looked like...distrust? No, suspicion was more appropriate. Honestly, he had wondered if she would begin to catch on; this wasn't exactly the first time that she had caught them at the tail end of a conversation about his Spider-Man activities. Once he and M.J. sat down in their seats across from each other, she must've observed his slightly concerned look, because she reached out and squeezed his right hand with her own. He turned and looked at her, and she had the most understanding and reassuring expression on her face. 

He was now convinced for 1,269,603rd time that he would never understand her. One moment she was the smirking, sarcastic one who could cut anyone's ego and courage down to size, and the next moment she was the kindest, sweetest individual he knew. 

He would never understand it, but he knew he loved her for it. 

He smiled at her, then turned his attention to his teacher as class began. 

Later, when they all met for lunch, Peter didn't notice the same expression in Betty's eyes anymore. Instead, she just seemed to be as carefree and happy as normal, and he breathed an internal sigh of relief in his mind. 

After school, Peter says goodbye to his friends and walks out of the school, then hears a voice that deep down he JUST KNEW he couldn't go all of senior year without hearing. 

"Yo, Parker!" Flash called from the grassy area to the left. Peter turned to face his classmate as he walked up to him, painfully awaiting whatever was to come. 

"I hear you got a 100% on the physics test the other day," Flash said in an accusatory tone, like Peter had committed a crime.

"How did you..." Peter didn't get an answer to his question, or even the opportunity to finish it, before Flash continued. 

"Dude, you are not taking valedictorian away from me, you got that?" Flash almost shouted, though thankfully those who were still there seemed to not be paying the situation any mind. 

"What in the world is this about?" Peter thought to himself as he squinted his eyes a little at Flash, as if he wasn't making any sense. He really wasn't; Peter always had the idea that he did better in school than Flash, but he wasn't about to brag about the fact that he had managed a 4.0 GPA his whole life and had already gotten full ride offers from Harvard, MIT and a few other schools in the last couple of weeks. 

"What do you want me to do, Flash?" Peter finally voiced out loud. All through high school, he had put up with Flash Thompson's nonsense, and he had enjoyed having him be more quiet during senior year so far. If possible, he just wanted to get back to that point. 

"I want you to stop trying to be a teacher's pet; I know that's the only reason you're doing better than me," Flash said, once again in a very accusatory manner. 

"Are you kidding me?" It took everything in Peter not to shout at the top of his lungs in response to such a ridiculous accusation. "All I've ever done is work hard and do my best, and I didn't even have rich parents to help me along the way." 

That last statement appeared to strike a cord with Flash, who started to say something while also raising a finger at Peter again. He ended up saying nothing, however, and lowered his hand back down to his side. After that, Flash just turned to leave, and Peter was grateful, even if he felt a little bad. He hated taking shots at people (well, except for his quips to criminals as Spider-Man), even Flash, but enough was enough. 

He then resumed his walk, opting to head to the lab a little early. Along the way though, he kept thinking back to something he saw in Flash's eyes just before he walked away. There almost appeared to be something akin to pain in them, something Peter honestly wasn't sure Flash was capable of, at least on the inside. What was with him observing things in people's eyes today? 

M.J. and her observant nature must be rubbing off on him worse than he thought. 

Still, he couldn't get the image out of his head. When Flash had started to say something, there was a fire, an anger, a pain in his eyes that Peter had never seen before. Had it been because Peter had brought up his parents? This thought only just made Peter feel a little more guilty, so he decided to put that thought away for now as he neared the lab. Next time Flash approached him like that, he was just going to keep walking. 

"Hey Doc, what are you working on?" Peter asked as he entered Dr. Connors' office, removing his backpack from his shoulders and sitting it against the wall. 

"Peter, good timing," Dr. Connors replied, spinning on his office chair so that he faced Peter. "Come over here; I think I'm finally ready to show you what I have been working on." 

Peter walked over the desk, looking down at the computer. The screen looked to be filled with various models of plant cellular structure and genetic coding. 

"What is this, Doc?" Peter asked, putting his hand on the desk as he leaned down closer to the computer. 

"Remember how I've been having you constantly check the new plants we've been having brought in?" the doc asked. 

"Yeah," Peter answered. He remembered how, not long after the Lizard incident, Dr. Connors had begun bringing in plants from all over the world to the lab. At first, it was just a few flowering plants, but more recently some fruit and vegetable plants had been brought in. All along the way, that had been the high priority when it came to what Connors had assigned him too: above all else, he was to make sure everything was operating smoothly with all of the specimens being brought in. Peter had repeatedly checked the various temperature settings, the water levels, and many other things regarding the plants, making sure to carefully log every detail in his reports. 

"Well, I think I just might be onto something," Dr. Connors said enthusiastically. "I have begun isolating the various genes that cause a plant to become weak from the beginning. Outside sources, such as sunlight and water, affect a plant's development, but if I can find a way to isolate those genes and destroy them, I can give any plant the opportunity to thrive in any condition, anywhere in the world." 

Peter then stood up straight and looked at Connors as the doc turned in his chair to face him again. 

"Peter, I think we might have a serious chance at helping put an end to famine and hunger forever." 

"Wow," was all Peter could find within himself to say. This new project was certainly ambitious, perhaps even more so than the doc's last big project involving injecting reptilian DNA into people, if that was possible. Still, he had some questions. 

"What do you think?" Connors asked him, shaking him from his thoughts. 

"I don't know, Doc," Peter admitted, trying not to sound too skeptical. "It certainly sounds good, and definitely ambitious, but...you said yourself, plants rely on outside things to help them grow. Good genes help, but how do you plan on working around that?" 

"That's where a lot of the environmental simulations we will be conducting over the next several weeks will come into play," Connors responded, turning back to his computer. He pulled up a few different models, and Peter once again turned his attention to them as the doc went on to explain how they would simulate various environments, both good and bad, to measure the rate of growth, and see if there were further measures that could be taken to improve the process. 

When the whole presentation was finally over, Peter still wasn't sure what he thought. It all sounded very exciting, but it was going to be a lot to pour into, and it could be a big loss for Dr. Connors if the whole thing didn't turn out as hoped. Still, Curt Connors was his boss, but even more than that, his friend, and he was going to choose to be optimistic, if cautiously so, about this new undertaking. 

"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Peter responded, and Connors smiled back at him. This reassured Peter to some degree, so he went out to gather his materials to begin working. However, he hadn't even got to his containment unit check when he could hear Yuri calling him through the device they used. Sighing, Peter took it out of his shirt pocket and put it in his ear. 

"What's up?" Peter answered. 

"Head to the Bank of America over in Harlem. Our sandy friend is at it again, and I heard the units over there are getting overwhelmed." 

Yuri Watanabe, direct and to the point, as always. 

"Sorry Doc," Peter called out to Connors, who was still in the office. "I have an emergency I have to attend to. I'll be back as soon as possible." 

"No problem, Peter," the Doc said. 

Peter headed out into a nearby alley, quickly stripping off his clothes to reveal his Spider-Man suit underneath, and swung off towards his new adversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, due to a bout of insomnia that hit me again last night, I ended up charting the course for the rest of this story. Right now, I am looking at 10 chapters, plus a bonus one at the end that I am throwing in just for fun, even though the story will be over. That, plus, I am getting some ideas for how the rest of Peter's senior year will play out. Can't wait to share all of this with you! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter! As usual, feel free to let me know the good and the bad alike in the comments. 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "My prayer is not for them alone..." John 17:20-26


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter finally got close enough to see the Sandman's latest scheme as it was underway, and it wasn't good. Multiple vehicles were overturned and the many officers that had responded to the scene were overwhelmed, as the man formerly known as Flint Marko tore through them all like they were ants before him. Currently, he was marching towards a couple officers, his hand slowly forming into a hammer. Peter let go of his web, flying downward and landing right in front of Sandman in a crouched position. 
> 
> "Hey, Sandy!" Peter said casually. "Look, if you really want to make money, I'll tell you what you do, just..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter struggles to both fight and protect, and M.J. tries to reach out to Deja again.

Peter finally got close enough to see the Sandman's latest scheme as it was underway, and it wasn't good. Multiple vehicles were overturned and the many officers that had responded to the scene were overwhelmed, as the man formerly known as Flint Marko tore through them all like they were ants before him. Currently, he was marching towards a couple officers, his hand slowly forming into a hammer. Peter let go of his web, flying downward and landing right in front of Sandman in a crouched position. 

"Hey, Sandy!" Peter said casually. "Look, if you really want to make money, I'll tell you what you do, just..." 

Peter suddenly found himself dodging multiple swings from the Sandman's arms, which had both formed into hammers now. He ducked multiple times before doing a couple long back flips, landing on a nearby streetlight. Sandman came walking towards him, appearing very calm and collected. 

"Just hear me out," Peter continued. "If you move someplace with beaches, like Florida for instance, you can perform your own sand shows! You'd be a hit!" 

"Thanks, but I like what I do now just fine," Sandman said, smiling. Peter watched as he formed some kind of sand tentacles with his arms and launched them towards him. Peter was ready this time, expertly dodging around and through them like it was nothing. So far, this was going exactly how he hoped; he had passed a junkyard earlier, and if he could just lure Sandman there with him, he could draw him away from the officers and any other bystanders who could end up in harm's way. Then, Peter would be able to fight on his terms. 

"Oh come on man, it'd be perfect!" Peter persisted, trying to make sure his attacker's attention remained focused on him. "The kids would love it, that's for sure." He continued along the sidewalk, remaining close enough to where Sandman could strike at him, but not so close that his opponent would be likely to connect. However, Peter saw a flash of light reflecting off of Sandman's face, and followed his opponent's eyes towards the source: a young kid who had taken a picture from the other side of the street. Sandman fired a blast of sand out of his left arm at the kid, but Peter had anticipated this, leaping over and snatching the kid out of harm's way just in time. 

"Please, no flash photography during the scene," Peter said to the kid as he set him down before turning his attention back to the Sandman, who had materialized on the other side of the street as well. Peter fired a quick web at the Sandman's face, catching him off guard. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Peter bounded forward onto his hands, pushing forward and shooting through Sandman's chest feet first, shattering most of his opponent's composition into nothing but sand. Instantly, Sandman started to reform, so Peter quickly moved on. 

"Sandy, if you can hear me, how about a game of follow the leader?" he said, leaping a super powered leap about 25 feet ahead onto another light post. He turned to make sure Sandman was following after him, but not saw nothing of his enemy. Peter glanced left and right, but there was no Sandman in sight. 

"Now where did he..." 

Peter's spider-sense went wild, and he jumped back off the street light just in time for an eruption of sand to shoot upwards. Peter landed about 15 feet away, and saw the blast of sand had shot the light clean out of the street, sending it flying towards an innocent bystander on the other side. Peter knew Sandman was already coming after him again, but he still leapt up, shot a web and managed to pull the guy out of the way of the incoming street light before getting slammed with what felt like hard concrete in his stomach. He flew back several feet, eventually crashing into a nearby car. Peter fought the pain in his stomach as he forced himself up off the ground, readying himself for Sandman's next attack. 

"How do you like that, huh?" Sandman shouted at Peter as he moved closer to him. 

"It was definitely not what I ordered, I'll tell you that," Peter fired back. "I'm pretty sure I remembered ordering the usual pair of sand hammers." 

"As you wish," Sandman replied, forming both hands into hammers once more. 

"Now that's more like it," Peter said as he dodged multiple blows from the Sandman again. They were both in the middle of the street now, and Peter knew he needed to get them both out of the air, before someone else got caught in the crossfire of this whole thing. Unfortunately, there was no such luck; Peter saw a car flying towards Sandman. 

"I'll save you Spidey!" shouted whoever was in the driver's seat.

Sandman turned towards the vehicle that was on a collision course for him, and he just stood there. Peter figured he was solidifying himself, which would be bad news for whoever was in that vehicle. Acting on instinct for what felt like the millionth time that night, Peter pulled Sandman towards him, lying on his back and shooting the Sandman up into the air with his legs, springing himself into the air with his hands. Peter felt the car zoom past him just barely below his finger tips. 

Once he got high enough in the air, Peter webbed the Sandman from below, performed a somersault and flung him down to the ground, causing an large indention in the concrete. Peter landed a few feet away as Sandman slowly got to his feet. 

"Had enough yet?" Peter said. By now, he could tell the sky was getting a little darker as the sun was beginning to set. 

"Not quite yet," Sandman responded. He formed sharp sword-like things out of his arms, and took several swings at him, but Peter was starting to notice he was slowing down again. His opponent didn't look as obviously out of sorts as last time, but Peter could see the beginnings of it happening again. Taking advantage of this, Peter struck a blow to the Sandman's face, knocking a chunk of sand from his opponent's still somewhat-hard form. Sandman swung a few more times, and then Peter returned the favor by kicking out his enemy's legs again, collapsing Sandman to about half his usual height. He could see a growing desperation in his enemy's eyes; Peter knew he had the advantage now. He kicked Sandman in the chest, sending his top half flying back, though he must have solidified himself to some degree again, because he didn't fall apart on impact this time. 

Peter then noticed Sandman began looking around, and he must have found what he was looking for, because he shot out a couple knife-like bits of sand out from his arms. They shattered a large window a few stories up on a building across the street, causing the glass to descend downward towards multiple people. Peter leapt to the other side quickly, firing multiple webs so that each one stuck to the back of a different individual. He yanked the webs to himself, pulling the people out of danger. He then turned towards the Sandman again, but saw nothing. He waited once more for his spider-sense to alert him of an incoming attack, but there was nothing. However, he did notice what looked like the tiniest remnants of a trail of sand slithering into a drain area. 

Sandman had gotten away, again. 

After heading back and helping the injured officers as EMS arrived, Peter called Yuri. 

"You okay?" Yuri asked. 

"Might be a little bruised, but no big deal. I'm just glad nobody else got hurt too bad," Peter replied. "The good news is that he left without the money this time, so that's good." 

"Come by the precinct when you get a chance," Yuri said. "We need to strategize."

"Copy that," Peter said, exiting the scene via web. Within minutes, he was atop the police precinct. 

"You know, we can always meet indoors somewhere, if it'd be warmer for you," Peter offered upon landing. Yuri didn't show any real signs that she was freezing despite the plummeting temperature, but he still felt like insisting. 

"No thanks," Yuri said before getting straight to the point. "So, what happened out there?" 

Peter relayed everything to her, leaving no detail out. "I noticed that he started slowing up again, though it took him a lot longer to get there this time." 

"Any thoughts on the reasons behind that?" Yuri asked, giving Peter a hopeful and inquisitive look. "It might give us the advantage we need." 

"I do have a couple theories, but that's all they are at this point," Peter offered. He didn't want to get her hopes up until he was more certain of one of them in particular. 

"Understood," Yuri offered, apparently accepting of Peter's vague answer. "I'll go back to Marko's files and see if I can dig up anything valuable on him." 

"Good plan," Peter acknowledged, "and I'll focus on verifying my theories. First person to have something calls?" 

"Sounds like a plan," Yuri said, turning and heading back towards the door. Peter took this as his cue to leave as well, shooting a web and jumping off the rooftop. 

M.J. took a breath as she stood in the hallway before proceeding forward. She was going to try and reach out to Deja once more, but she had to admit that kids weren't exactly her comfort zone. Sure, she had helped May and Peter with a few events at the center involving kids, but almost all of them seemed excited and happy to be there, so it was easier. Plus, this was one-on-one, which for some reason felt all the more terrifying to M.J. Still, she was one who was keen on pushing herself to her limits and beyond, so she was going to try again. Plus, she just got the feeling that this girl needed her. She couldn't explain it, but she felt in her bones that she might be able to make a real difference in this girl's life, as unqualified as she felt for such a role. 

M.J. came up to the table the girl was at, which was the same as last time. Once again, she appeared to be working on some homework. 

"It's Deja, isn't it?" M.J. asked, sounding more shy than she wanted to. 

This time, the little girl stopped what she was doing almost immediately, turning in her seat to face her. "Who wants to know?" she asked, a light scowl on her face. 

"Just someone who wants to talk with you a little bit, if that's okay?" M.J. said, regaining a little hope. This was already further than she had made it last time. When the girl gave her no response, instead just turning back to her homework, M.J. decided to pull out one of the other chairs at the desk and take a seat. 

"So, where do you go to school?" she asked, putting on what she hoped was a friendly smile. 

"Who put you up to this?" Deja responded, clearly ignoring M.J.'s question. 

"Nobody put me up to it," M.J. said, a little taken aback by the girl's question, though not completely surprised. "I just want to see if you needed anything or wanted some help." 

"Nah, I got this," Deja said, clearly trying to play it cool. M.J. could tell that her response had been practiced, or at least repeated plenty of times. 

"Look, I just..."

"Listen, whoever you are," Deja said, suddenly looking M.J. in the eye. "Maybe you're alright, maybe not, but like I said, I can take care of myself. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do before I go home later." 

M.J. didn't know how to respond, and the girl didn't seem too keen on further conversation, so she got up and went to find somewhere else to help out, eventually heading to help out with washing the dishes. She couldn't get the girl out of her mind though. Deja just seemed too...closed off. M.J. knew what that was like; she knew the pain of pushing everybody away. It had taken a toll on her. Honestly, if she hadn't started hanging out more often with Peter and Ned just before the snap, she didn't know where she would be. She didn't want the girl to have to go through the same struggle, but no matter what she tried, she just couldn't seem to break through to her. 

Eventually Peter showed up, and the two of them helped out in a couple other areas before May told them they could go home and that she would be along after finishing up some last minute details for an upcoming fundraiser. 

How'd things go with Deja?" Peter asked. As much as M.J. appreciated how Peter was so supportive and always remembered to ask her stuff like this, she was a little upset at his question, mostly because she was still frustrated from the whole thing. Still, she answered honestly. 

"Terrible. I just don't know how to get through to her." 

"If it's okay for me to ask, why is it her that you want to reach out to in particular?" Peter asked as they walked along. 

M.J. thought a moment, even though she basically knew the answer. She just wanted him to understand. 

"I just...I see a lot of myself in her, I think," she got out. 

"How so?" Peter asked. 

"She just seems to closed off from the world and everyone around her," M.J. responded. "I remember what that was like...what it still is like?" 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked. There was no harshness or dismissal in his words, just curiosity, as he persisted: "I mean, you get along great with me, Ned, Betty, and most of our class, really. Sure, you might scare Flash and some others, but that's because they've done something to get on your bad side." 

While she appreciated what Peter was saying, he clearly didn't understand. 

"Peter, you don't know me like you think you do." 

When she looked at him again, his expression had fallen a bit. 

"What do you mean?" he asked once more, though she could feel a pain coming from his words this time. M.J. stopped walking, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again as she answered him:

"You don't know that I was once just like her. I didn't even sit a table or two down from anyone like I did sophomore year; I used to sit outside just so I would be alone. You don't know that, deep down, there is still a part of me that is afraid of all the relationships I have developed, because they mean getting hurt again. Betty, my mom, even you...one day you all could leave, or something could happen to you, or who knows what, but you all could be gone, and I could go back to that." 

Tears began to well up in her eyes as she got out one last sentence: 

"I don't want to go back to that, Peter." 

Peter said nothing, but stood there for a moment, not looking at her. It was a few seconds, but the hesitation of his response was killing her inside. M.J. hadn't intended to get so deep, but it had happened anyway, and now surely he was seeing her as just a scared little girl. 

Suddenly, she found herself wrapped in his arms, and she was throwing her's around him as well. She let the tears flow, as she pressed her face into his shoulder. Sure, they were in the middle of the sidewalk in Manhattan, but she didn't care. She just let a steady stream cascade from her eyes and onto to Peter. In a way, it felt good to release them. She had had the thoughts she just expressed to him in the back of her mind ever since she started liking him. They were what kept her down for so long, what always discouraged her from being more bold in her feelings towards him. She had eventually got the courage to start to get to know him at least a little, but even as their relationship had steadily climbed the ranks, these thoughts still lingered in her mind on occasion. Releasing the tears from her face felt like she was finally beginning to let go of a lot of those thoughts, at least to some degree. 

She also appreciated the feeling of Peter's arms around her. His grip was both strong and gentle at the same time, serving as a reassurance that he was there; that he was with her, in this moment, and wasn't going anywhere. 

After what felt like an eternity, they pulled away from each other's embrace, but Peter clasped her head with a hand on each side. She leaned her forehead into his for a moment as she finished recomposing herself from the outpouring of emotion she just experienced. 

"You okay?" Peter asked her, his look a gentle one. 

"I will be," M.J. answered. 

"I think I get it now," Peter said. 

"You do?" M.J. said. 

"I mean, I don't 'get it' get it, but I can see why it's important to you now," Peter clarified. 

"Thank you," she said, offering him a light smile in return. 

He took her hand, and they continued back towards home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last part got a lot heavier than I intended, but it felt appropriate to the story. Hope you guys liked the chapter! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "As he walked along, he saw..." Mark 2:13-17


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day, Peter was at his locker, getting what he would need for his class after lunch, when Ned came running up to him. 
> 
> "Dude, it's Friday!" Ned exclaimed in quiet exasperation. 
> 
> "Yeah, I know Ned," Peter said, not seeing whatever problem is best friend was trying to get across. 
> 
> "We still need to pick our movie!" Ned said. It took all Peter had not to laugh at how frantic his best friend was being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Ned freaks out, M.J. and Peter agree to a new challenge, Dr. Connors' experiment is underway, and what's up with Flash?

The next day, Peter was at his locker, getting what he would need for his class after lunch, when Ned came running up to him. 

"Dude, it's Friday!" Ned exclaimed in quiet exasperation. 

"Yeah, I know Ned," Peter said, not seeing whatever problem is best friend was trying to get across. 

"We still need to pick our movie!" Ned said. It took all Peter had not to laugh at how frantic his best friend was being. 

"I already told you, we need to get them started on the newer Planet of the Apes series, so we're watching 'Rise' tonight," Peter said, as if it was no big deal and already decided. 

"Bro," Ned started, and Peter turned and braced himself for what he already knew was to come. "This chance is a rare opportunity; we have to make absolutely sure that we pick the best possible movie in the ENTIRE genre!" 

"Well, do you have any other ideas?" Peter asked, raising his eyebrows. 

"Well, no," Ned said in a clearly flustered manner. "We've already shown them some stuff I can't decide among the remnants."

"Then it's settled," Peter said, and he put a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Ned, relax. I'm sure M.J. and Betty will love it, but even if they don't, it's not the end of the world." 

"You're right," Ned said, letting out a shaky breath to try and relax himself. "I'm sure it'll be fine." 

Peter and Ned then met up with M.J. and Betty for lunch, and it wasn't long before the subject came up. 

"So, what incomprehensible bit of cinema are you boys going to treat Betty and I to tonight?" M.J. asked, Peter smiling at every bit of her trademark sarcastic boredom being evident in the question. 

"You of little faith," Peter said confidently. "We're going to watch 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' tonight." 

"I've heard good things about it," Betty chimed in. "Maybe we should give it a chance M.J."

"Thank you," Peter said, acknowledging Betty before turning and smiling a proud smile to M.J. 

"Are you sure it's not too late for a rematch, winner take all?" M.J. asked, clearly still not particularly enthusiastic about the selection. 

"Yes it's too late," Peter said, before he got an idea. "Although, if you have something else you want to wager on, we could always bet on that Chemistry test on Monday?" 

"Whoa whoa whoa, Parker," M.J. said, sticking her arms out in a stop motion to emphasize her words. "Let me get this straight: just because you win against me once, in your strongest subject, you think you can take on me in mine and come out on top?" 

"Oh my goodness, are you guys really going to do this again?" Betty complained. Peter heard her words, but was laser focused on M.J.'s intense expression, so he paid them no mind, and he had a feeling his girlfriend wasn't either. 

"I do," Peter responded confidently. 

"Alright then," M.J. responded, her head held high and her intense glare still meeting Peter's eyes. "How about this: whoever wins gets to plan every detail of what we do on our next date. Where we eat, any place we go to, what we watch, all of it. Do we have a deal?" she said, holding out her hand. 

Without hesitation, Peter took her hand and shook it, neither he nor her taking their eyes off each other's while doing so. 

"Deal." 

Later, as Peter was walking out of school, he heard what sounded like someone tripping and falling ahead of him. He ran ahead to see who it was, and it turned out to be Flash, who was frantically trying to pick everything up as everyone else passed by. Peter almost considered walking along just like everybody else, but decided to help out anyway. He started collecting some folders and stuff in his hands, as Flash seemed to pay him no mind. As Peter started to reach down for his next loose object, he suddenly found himself hesitating when he saw what it was: a small medicine bottle. He picked it up, turning it around to see that it was something called Amlodipine. He had never heard of it before; before he got his powers, Peter had spent plenty of time in the hospital, mostly due to asthma related issues, so he knew his way around some kinds of medication. This one however was foreign to him. 

The bottle had been a little further away from the rest of the stuff, so maybe it wasn't his. "Hey man, is this yours?" Peter asked, holding it up and turning it to make the label visible. Flash's eyes went wide with what looked like panic for what may have been a half second, if that, before they narrowed sharply. 

"Mind your own business, Parker!" Flash said angrily, snatching the medicine away from Peter's hand. 

"I'm sorry," Peter apologized. "I didn't mean to..." 

"Just leave it alone," Flash said, taking the folders from Peter's other hand before leaving in a hurry. Peter watched for a few seconds as Flash moved briskly away from the scene. Whatever that medicine was, just him seeing it had struck a sensitive chord with Flash. For the first time in a very, very long time, Peter now found himself concerned about the boy who had bullied him for years. Flash had called him a variety of nasty nicknames and pulled many pranks that ranged from light teasing to flat out inappropriate, but this was the first time that Peter had seen him behave this way as a reaction and not deliberately. 

As Peter walked to the lab, his mind kept coming back to Flash. He remembered the look in his classmate's eyes the other day when he had mentioned parents. There was an anger, but also a sadness in Flash's eyes, and Peter recognized a small bit of that in the expression Flash shot him earlier. 

Man, M.J. really was rubbing off on him. 

Out of curiosity, Peter took out his phone as he walked and googled amlodipine (thank goodness it could predict what he was looking for when he was about halfway into typing it). He then spent the rest of the walk to the lab reading about how it was used for treating high blood pressure, chest pain, and coronary artery disease. He particularly focused on the latter thing it was used for. Could Flash have one of these issues, or perhaps one of his parents? 

Peter was still lost in thought as he entered the lab, which must not have gone unnoticed by Dr. Connors. 

"Hey Peter, are you okay?" the doc asked as Peter walked into the main area of the lab. 

"Oh yeah, yeah," Peter said, quickly shaking his head a few times to jostle his mind back to the present. "Sorry doc, just...thinking about something that happened earlier."

"Want to talk about it?" Dr. Connors offered. 

"There's not much really to talk about, actually," Peter responded. The reality was he didn't know anything about whatever was really going on with Flash. Also, it felt indecent to share such private information about someone else with the good doctor, however trustworthy he may be. 

"As you wish," the doc said before turning in another direction. "Follow me," he said, and he gestured to Peter to reinforce that he should. "I have something to show you." 

They walked over, and Peter quickly saw what Connors wanted to show him: the small garden that the doc had been experimenting with had grown incredibly rapidly, producing various fruits and greens. His jaw dropped wide before morphing into an intrigued smile as he surveyed as much detail of it as he could. 

"Doc, this is incredible!" Peter finally exclaimed once he had taken a lot of it in. 

"Yeah," Connors began in reply. "I had a breakthrough the other day on not only how to make plants grow in various conditions, but also many times faster than normal." 

Peter finally turned to look at Connors, who eyes didn't express enthusiasm, but something more along the lines of disappointment. 

"Then what's wrong?" Peter asked, his own expression and tone shifting a little. 

Connors said nothing, but turned to walk into his office, so Peter followed behind. When they entered, the doc grabbed an apple from a selection of samples he had already gathered from the garden, handing it to Peter. 

"Try it, but not too big a bite," he said. 

Peter took a decent but still average sized bite of the battle, and his expression almost instantly turned sour as his face squinted a bit. 

"Ugh, something's wrong doc," Peter said once he had finally chewed enough to speak. "It tastes..."

"Rotten?" Connors said, finishing Peter's sentence for him. Peter looked up and nodded affirmatively. 

"That's the big problem that we are going to have to deal with," Connors explained. "I destroyed certain genes that hold back a plant's growth, allowing it to grow rapidly in any condition the world has to offer. Unfortunately, this process has had negative effects on every single sample we've grown, making it inedible and destroying most of the nutrients as well." 

Peter tossed the apple he had bitten into in the garbage. "Well, guess we'll have to look at it from a new angle." 

"I suppose you're right," Connors replied. Peter noticed the man's expression was more down than it usually was. Sure, the initial experiment wasn't exactly a success, but something else had to be going on in the good doctor's mind to make him look this way. 

"Don't worry, doc," Peter said, putting an arm on the man's shoulder to try and encourage him. "We'll figure it out." 

"I hope so, Peter," Connors replied, still looking a little distant even as he continued. "It's just...I really want to do something that's going to make a difference, especially after everything that happened all those months ago. In developing the reptilian DNA formula, I had partially selfish motives for doing so, and this time I wanted to do something that could truly matter, and what better a place to attack it than ending world hunger?" 

"Doc," Peter said, now putting his other arm on Connors' other shoulder as well. "If anyone can make a real difference in the world, it's you. You're the smartest person I know, and you have a heart to match. You're not alone either." 

Connors finally smiled, raising his one good arm to put on Peter's shoulder. "Thank you Peter. I can't say how much that means to me." 

After Peter finished his general activities around the lab, they began to discuss different theories regarding how to proceed in this new experiment. In the process, Peter didn't realize that he was running a little late for movie night with his friends until he glanced up at the clock in Connors' office and realized he had stayed 10 minutes past when he usually left. 

"Oh, sorry doc," Peter apologized as he hurried and gathered his bag. "My friends and I had plans. Plus, I'm going overtime now anyway." 

"No worries, Peter," Connors replied, as he too got up and began to gather stuff. "I'm actually running late for dinner myself. Martha's making her special pasta tonight; you should come over and try it sometime." 

"Yeah, that'd be great," Peter said before saying his goodbye and dashing out the door. 

When he arrived home, everybody was waiting for him. In fact, the movie was already in the blu-ray player and the pizza May had ordered had already been broken into. 

"There you are!" Ned exclaimed. "Thank goodness; I don't think I could have survived being around these two AND May by myself much longer!" 

"Oh, this'll be good," Peter said as he came over and took a seat, grabbing the biggest slice of cheese pizza he could. They started the movie, and Peter had just finished his 3rd slice of pizza when he suddenly heard the quiet sound of the device in his pocket, and it wasn't his phone. 

Yuri was calling. 

Peter politely excused himself, telling them not to pause it for him. He walked briskly to his room, closing the door before answering. 

"Hey Yuri, what's up?" he asked in a quiet tone. 

"Can you come by the precinct?" Yuri said. "I've been going through the file on the Sandman, and I want to hear if you've made any progress in your thought processes, so maybe we can come up with a plan to take him down. 

Peter hated to leave, especially because it could potentially arouse Betty's suspicions, but he knew he had to stop Sandman, and delaying that could only get someone killed. 

"Give me 5 minutes; I'll be right there," he responded promptly before hanging up. He quickly stuffed his suit in his backpack; he could likely make it there and back before the movie was over and just have M.J. or Ned tell Betty he was stuck in the bathroom, but he knew with his luck something would happen while he was gone to delay him further. Now he just needed to figure out an excuse for his departure. 

"Going somewhere?" he heard May ask as he zipped up his backpack. 

"Yeah; Yuri might have something regarding how to stop Sandman, so I have to," he replied, hoping his regret over the situation wasn't too obvious. 

"What are you going to tell the others, since Betty's here?" May asked. 

"I... hadn't gotten that far yet," Peter confessed a little sheepishly. 

"I might have an idea, actually," May replied. 

After a minute, Peter hurried down to the main area of the apartment, glancing at his friends on his way toward the door. 

"Hey guys, have to run an errand for May real quick. I'll be back soon." 

Nobody seemed to question it at first, but Betty had to speak up just as he opened the door. 

"Right now? Ned said this movie was your idea." 

"I know," Peter replied quickly, "but it's already dark out, so I didn't give her a choice. Gotta go." 

With that he closed the door. It hadn't gone quite as smoothly as he had thought when May explained it to him, but hopefully it would be good enough. 

Besides, he couldn't worry about that right now. He had more important things to think about, like how to stop Sandman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all like it! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet..." Proverbs 17:1


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What's so strange about Peter wanting to run and errand after dark so his aunt won't have to?" M.J. questioned, not even bothering to look away from the TV. 
> 
> "Oh, don't get me wrong, it sounds EXACTLY like something he would do," Betty fired back, and M.J. could practically hear the backpedaling in the girl's mind, perhaps because she thought her friend had interpreted her comment as insulting her Peter's character. Nevertheless, Betty persisted: "It's just...I just wonder what would be so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: M.J. protects Peter's secret while also having a heart to heart with May, and Peter and Yuri form a plan to take down the Sandman.

"Well that was strange," Betty said, turning her head back to the movie. 

M.J. was really, really hoping her friend would just settle for Peter's excuse, but the girl's curious nature was showing itself once again. 

"What's so strange about Peter wanting to run and errand after dark so his aunt won't have to?" M.J. questioned, not even bothering to look away from the TV. 

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it sounds EXACTLY like something he would do," Betty fired back, and M.J. could practically hear the backpedaling in the girl's mind, perhaps because she thought her friend had interpreted her comment as insulting her Peter's character. Nevertheless, Betty persisted: "It's just...I just wonder what would be so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" 

M.J. turned to look towards her, and caught Ned looking like he was about to say something. She shot him a quick look that told him to stand down, and he clearly got the message, immediately turning back to face the movie before Betty even noticed. Ned was a friend, but not for one second did M.J. trust him not to ruin Peter's secret identity by mistake, like he almost did in P.E. class back during sophomore year. She remembered how exasperated Peter looked at him, and that was far from the last time something like that had happened. She was taking zero chances. 

"Betty," M.J. started, trying her best to soften her voice despite her irritation at the whole thing, "Peter's....he's lost a lot. If nothing else, he could've been overreacting simply because he couldn't stand the thought of something happening to May. Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll know soon enough." 

This seemed to satisfy Betty, who gave a gentle nod before turning back to the movie. "Good," M.J. thought. Another near identity crisis averted. She had to admit though, it was getting harder and harder to keep Betty on the outside of Peter's secret. Plus, every time Peter had to run off to save the day, her heart broke a little, which she had to reign in to focus on maintaining Peter's cover. The fact that he had to leave at every police siren or spider-sense alert was definitely not as easy as she hoped it would be. Still, she knew he was doing it out of a sense of responsibility, which was one of the reasons she fell in love with him. 

M.J. reached up to her neck, twirling the black dahlia necklace with her fingers. It was times like these that she was most grateful Peter had got it for her. Whenever he was out and about as Spider-Man, the necklace reminded her of one truth she wouldn't trade for anything else in the world: that Peter loved her too. It was a testament to her that he cared about her because of who she was a person and not just some skin-deep, superficial reasons. Though dealing with Peter's double life was hard, remembering that got her through it, and made her appreciate that times they did share together even more. 

M.J. then heard someone come in the room, and turned her head to see May entering the kitchen area. She quickly got up, remembering something in particular she wanted to do tonight. She told Betty and Ned not to pause the movie, and that she'd be back in a second. Moving around the back of the couch and towards the kitchen, she approached May, who was getting out an apple from the fridge. 

"Hey May, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked. May turned to face her. 

"Of course," May replied, and the two of them migrated to the hallway. 

"Sweetheart, if this is about why Peter left..." May started, but M.J. quickly cut her off. 

"No no, that's not it," M.J. explained. 

"Oh," May said, and the look she gave M.J. seemed to indicate she should continue, so she did.

"You know that girl that I've been trying to talk to?" M.J. asked. 

"Oh yeah; Deja right?" May answered. 

"Yeah, that's her," M.J. confirmed. "I just...I can't explain it, but I just really want to get through to her, but nothing I've tried has worked. I don't want to give up, but I don't know what to do to reach her." 

"I see," May replied. "M.J, is this because you see a lot of yourself in her?" 

M.J. shot a quick glance down the hall, where her mom was in the guest room, likely reading a book. Sometimes her mom would hang out with her friends when they were over, but after long days, her mom enjoyed her solitude, and she respected that. 

When M.J. responded, she kept her voice low to make sure her mom couldn't hear: "Yes. Peter told me about how her mom works a lot, and the way she seems to behave in general...it just reminds me so much of myself." 

"How have you tried to talk to her?" May asked. 

"What do you mean?" M.J. asked back, a little confused. 

"I mean, what's been your demeanor; how have you tried to act, that is, when approaching her?" May clarified. 

"Just try to be nice, I guess," M.J. answered, shrugging. 

"Maybe that's the problem," May answered. M.J. tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, prompting May to continue: "M.J, if there's one thing I've learned while working there, it's that kids are smarter than we give them credit for. They can see when someone is just putting on a show for them. We know that they aren't just 'projects' to us, but often times that's how they feel. Basically, maybe what she needs is a little less 'sweet and caring M.J.' and more 'hard-nosed, determined, straight to the point M.J.'" 

"I don't know," M.J. replied. What May said made sense, but...what if she came across too strong? What if all she did was cause Deja to put on her defense mechanisms even harder? 

"Don't forget, my nephew didn't fall in love with you just because you have the biggest heart he's ever known, but also because of everything else that came with it," May assured her. "Letting your true self shine through is what gets the job done M.J. Don't forget that." 

M.J. smiled lightly and nodded her head towards May. "Thanks," she offered. May nodded in response, and M.J. went back to take her place on the couch with her friends. Even as the movie continued on, all she could think about was May's advice. Should she really try it? If so, how would she go about it. She would see Deja again on Monday, so fortunately for her, it meant she had the whole weekend to think about it. 

Peter finally arrived at the police precinct's rooftop, where Yuri was dutifully waiting for him. He wondered how she wasn't frozen to death; it was particularly windy that night on top of already being below freezing. Sure, she did look bundled up, but even his suit's heating system wasn't keeping all the cold away. Still, there she was, not appearing to shiver in the slightest. 

"Wow; you have ancestors that were Eskimos or something?" Peter asked as he landed a few feet from Yuri. "You don't look even a little cold." 

"Says the one with a uniform made of spandex," Yuri retorted back to him. Peter thought about mentioning the heating system, but decided he'd let her have her jab. 

"So, what do you have?" Peter asked, eyeing the file she had in her hands. 

"Well, according to this, Flint Marko's original name is William Baker," she said, moving next to him to show him the clippings of info in the folder. 

"So, Flint Marko is a false identity, or did he change it?" Peter asked. 

"He had it legally changed 5 years ago," Yuri replied. "His father was a real piece of work: multiple run ins with the law on drunk driving charges."

"At least he didn't follow in his dad's footsteps," Peter said, trying to see the positive in the situation. 

"That might be partly because 5 years ago was also when his father died," Yuri added. "In a way, that might actually be our big break." 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, but Yuri then pulled up the paper to reveal what looked like a deed to a house. 

"His father didn't have a will, so Marko saved up and bought the house, but he kept it in his old name," Yuri explained. 

"So that he wouldn't be found out when he changed it," Peter replied, finishing the thought they seemed to be both sharing. "How did he not get caught with that?" 

"One of his former associates was someone who specialized in keeping criminals off the grid by these kind of means, so it's not too surprising actually," Yuri answered. "Getting this particular information wasn't easy."

"Well, I gotta give Ol' Sandy credit: he certainly knows how to network himself," Peter quipped. He then turned to face Yuri. "So, let me guess: you suspect he's in hiding there?" 

"It's the best lead we have," Yuri said, closing the folder and turning to face Peter directly. "He only had a couple other hideouts around the city, and you and I already checked those. Now, what about on your end. Any thoughts on how to stop him?" Yuri asked. 

"You're feeling it right now," Peter said as a sudden gust of wind came in. 

"The cold?" Yuri asked, giving him a curious look. 

"It took me longer than it should have, but why do you think we haven't seen him tonight?" Peter asked her. 

"Because the night air gradually freezes the sand in his body," Yuri replied, the realization appearing to dawn on her all at once. 

"Exactly," Peter replied. "It's why he's slowed down during both fights, and also why it took longer for him to slow down during the day, as opposed to nighttime."

"Makes sense," Yuri answered, simply taking it all in. 

"Let me see that address again," Peter asked, and she opened the folder up to show him again. "Perfect. Well, no time like the present, and tonight is supposed to be the coldest night for a while. Might as well pay Sandy a visit. I'll call you when I make progress." 

"Sounds like a plan," Yuri replied. "Be careful. If he catches on to what you're up to, he might get desperate, which will make him even more dangerous." 

"Understood," he replied before diving off the building. It was time to head to his old stomping grounds: Queens. 

As he headed towards the bridges that connected the burrow to Manhattan, he pondered some of the other info Yuri showed him: his father was a drunk, constantly in trouble with the law. While Marko had stayed away from that lifestyle, he had only fallen into another one that wasn't good. Maybe he could reach out to him; convince him that he didn't have to resort to crime to prove something to his late father. Still, Peter wasn't so naive as to not have an actual plan of attack. If things went south, he knew he had to be ready. 

He finally came to the bridge that lead back to Queens, and he landed on top of a semi trailer, opting to ride it across the way in order to save a little on webbing. 

Given what he might be about to walk into, he figured he just might need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming down to the last 2 or 3 chapters! Thanks to those who have left kudos and comments; you all are greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "There are six days..." Luke 13:10-17


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter was unsure of how to proceed. Should he just drop down and announce himself? Should he try and get his attention from where he was on the ceiling? Maybe he should try and subdue Sandman first? Unfortunately, he didn't get to figure out the answer to his question as his spider-sense rang out in his head, and he jumped down just in time to avoid a blast of sand that put a hole in the ceiling right where he had been just a moment before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: the final confrontation with Sandman and a hospital visit where Peter gets more than he bargained for.

As soon as the truck Peter was on top of crossed the bridge, he jumped off, firing a web at a nearby building. He continued running through how to utilize the personal information he had acquired from Yuri to appeal to Sandman, but he just couldn't settle on the words. He soon came upon the house, and he resigned himself to the desperate hope that the words would come to him in the moment. He landed quietly on the roof of the house next door, surveying the situation before him. Utilizing the system in his mask, it couldn't detect any heat signatures, which Peter realized he should've predicted, given that Sandman's body was made of, well, sand. It did however show some kind of human size mass in the main room on the first floor. Peter hopped onto the roof, landing as gently as he could on his finger tips and toes. He carefully crawled to a nearby window, sliding it open with his left hand. He threw himself into the room legs first, quickly shutting the window behind him. He looked around the room, but there wasn't really much to see. It was pretty empty, save for a chair or cabinet here and there. 

Opening the door to the room as quietly as he could, he stepped out of the room and climbed onto the wall, then the ceiling. Stealthily making his way to the location of the human sized mass his suit had alerted him to, Peter eventually came into view of the living room. He maneuvered in, and sure enough, there was Sandman. He wasn't really doing much of anything, just sitting by a fire. 

Peter was unsure of how to proceed. Should he just drop down and announce himself? Should he try and get his attention from where he was on the ceiling? Maybe he should try and subdue Sandman first? Unfortunately, he didn't get to figure out the answer to his question as his spider-sense rang out in his head, and he jumped down just in time to avoid a blast of sand that put a hole in the ceiling right where he had been just a moment before. 

"I figured it was only a matter of time before you tracked me down," Sandman said, the sand that had shot at Peter moments ago coming back to him as he stood up. "Once I broke out again, I knew this place would eventually show up on the radar of the cops...and you." 

"Look, Marko, believe it or not, I'm actually not here to fight," Peter said, putting his hands up as he arose from his crouched position on the floor. 

Sandman turned around, and Peter could see confusion in his eyes. "Then what are you here for?" 

"I just want to talk," Peter said, remaining almost frozen in the position he was standing. 

"Talk?" Sandman questioned. "Hate to break it to you bug, but we got nothing to talk about." 

Forming a huge fist with his right hand, Sandman stretched his arm out and took a swing at Peter. Anticipating the motion thanks to his spider-sense, he dodged it easily. He did so against two more swings, but the fact that he was in an enclosed space got to him, and Sandman was finally able to grab Peter by his legs, throwing him out of the side of the building. Peter went crashing through the wall, managing to land on his hands and feet in the middle of the road. 

"I'll ignore the fact that you don't know how to treat a house guest and proceed anyway," Peter called out to Sandman, who had turned into a giant cloud of sand and came flying at him. "Okay, maybe not," Peter said as he jumped onto a nearby lamppost and traveled along the bunch of them that lined the street as Sandman pursued him. He had a particular destination in mind that he knew he could use against him, should negotiation and appealing to the man in the Sandman fail, so he jumped, swung and ran until they finally came to a dock. Peter perched onto a small building, turning to face the huge sand cloud that was coming his way. 

"I know about your past, William," Peter shouted, hoping the use of Sandman's former name would get his attention. It seemed to work, at least a little, as the sand cloud reformed into the man himself on the ground, just in front of the building Peter was perched on. 

"I know about your father," Peter continued, hoping that he was handling this the right way. "If you think all this will prove something, you're wrong."

"You don't know anything, Spider-Man," Sandman retorted, blasting a stream of sand out of his right arm. Peter jumped out of the way of that attack, then a couple more before landing on a light post. 

"Look, I don't know you, but I know what it's like to struggle with expectations," Peter said. Ever since he had become Spider-Man, pressure to do one thing or another right had arisen from almost everywhere, and even now, he was still figuring it out. 

"That's just the thing, bug," Sandman said. Surprisingly, he didn't sound as angry this time. "My father had no expectations of me. He was too lost in his drunken misery to even notice me. I won't be the failure at life that he was."

"And robbing and stealing from places is a successful life?" Peter questioned, tilting his head a little. 

"It's what I'm good at," Sandman answered. "And now, I have the opportunity to be the best, just as soon as I take you out." A few pieces of hardened sand with sharp edges came flying out of Sandman's chest all of a sudden. Peter maneuvered between them deftly before jumping to the ground, still maintaining a fair distance between himself and his adversary. 

"It'll never be enough, Flint," Peter said, trying his best to challenge Sandman's way of thinking. "With your powers, you could do a lot of good. Give up now, and maybe you can have a shot at early parole. You can still do the right thing, Flint." 

"I have to admit, I respect a man who sticks to his convictions," Sandman said, surprising Peter a little. The words seemed to be very genuine. "However, this is not just who I am, but it's who I want to be, and I'll never stop. Never." 

Sandman then launched his arms, which had morphed into sand tentacles, straight at Peter, who twisted and turned and eluded them, if only by mere seconds. Okay, so negotiation and appealing hadn't gone as he'd hoped. Time to execute his contingency plan. If he could just get Sandman close to the water...

"What's going on out here?" 

Peter's eyes widened as he saw what looked like one of the dock workers approach Sandman from behind with nothing but a flashlight. 

"Just taking care of some personal business," Sandman replied to the worker's question. He then struck the man in the side of the face with a hardened backhand, sending him slamming into a nearby tree. Sandman then approached the man, who had been knocked unconscious, ready to deliver a crushing blow. Peter then came flying in behind Sandman feet first, trying to keep him away from the man. All he did was come crashing through his adversary's chest, coming out the other side before instantly being wrapped up in a massive roll of hardened, concrete like sand. 

"That's the thing about you, wall crawler: you're predictable," Sandman taunted, and Peter could feel the sand squeezing him to the point where it was quickly getting hard to breathe. "You'll always choose to protect the little guy over yourself. You know what they say though: only the strong survive," Sandman said, and somehow Peter felt him squeezing even tighter than before. He frantically looked around, trying to find something he could utilize to his advantage. Finally he noticed that they were directly under a very snow covered tree. That was the answer. 

"I couldn't....agree....more," Peter said. He summoned all the strength he had, forcing his arms free of the hard sand and immediately shooting a web at a branch above them. Pulling hard, a burst of snow came crashing down on Sandman, completely covering him. After a moment, Peter managed to free the rest of himself, shaking the snow off of himself. The Sandman came up shortly after, but Peter could see ice beginning to form all over his body. 

"What was that Sandy, you want some more snow?" Peter shouted, and jumped away, landing beneath another tree. Sandman followed him, but was very slow in coming. "How about some more?" Peter said, hitting another tree with the side of his arm. Almost instantly, another huge batch of snow came crashing down on Sandman. It took a little longer, but eventually Sandman came out of it again. Peter backed up a little as Sandman slowly moved towards him again. Peter watched as his adversary raised a fist, but it never came down. Ice completely enveloped the Sandman, and next thing Peter knew, his enemy was nothing but a frozen statue. 

Peter let out a breath before tapping the side of his mask to make a call. 

"Yuri, it's done; Sandman is down. Heads up, you might want to bring a refrigeration unit of some kind to keep him in his currently frozen state." Peter explained. 

"Will do," Yuri said. "And thanks. We couldn't have done this without you." 

"That's what I'm here for: to take care of all your rogue freak of nature needs," Peter said. He gave her the location before hanging up, running over to check on the injured dock worker. The man was still unconscious, but Peter detected a pulse, so that was good. If he had to go based off his own personal experiences with injuries, he guessed that the man likely had a concussion. Peter picked the man up, putting one arm around him as he used his other one to fire a web. He needed to get this guy to a hospital to be properly examined. 

Peter reached the nearest emergency room in a matter of minutes. The man was beginning to reach consciousness as Peter carried him inside. He explained the situation to the nearest worker he could find, and they quickly brought a wheelchair for the man and took him further inside. Peter opted to wait at the hospital; he guessed the man would be okay, but just in case he lost his memory or something, he wanted to be there to help out in any way he could. He asked if there was a private room he could wait in so that he wouldn't be a distraction to the other people in the building; he was still in his Spider-Man suit after all. A nurse showed him to a more isolated waiting area that was currently empty, so Peter sat down and made himself comfortable. He took the opportunity to call May and let her know the results of the situation, assuring her that he would be home as soon as he knew the guy was okay. 

After a little while, a doctor came back to the room, and Peter stood up quickly, walking over to meet the man. 

"How is he?" Peter asked. 

"Well, he does have a concussion, plus he's got some bruising forming in his upper back, but nothing is broken, and he confidently answered every question we asked of him, so his memory seems to be just fine," the doctor said. 

"Good, glad to hear it. Thanks doc," Peter answered, extending his gloved right hand for the man to shake. 

"No, thank you," the doc said, excepting the handshake offering. With the matter settled, Peter followed the doctor out of the room, and he was on his way out, when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar face when looking through a window into one of the rooms. He looked again, and sure enough, it was Flash Thompson, sitting in a chair in the room. Peter shifted his gaze to the bed that was in the room, and a middle-aged woman was lying in it, hooked up to all kinds of machinery and IVs. He guessed this had to be Flash's mom. Peter looked back at Flash again, and his classmate looked so...alone. There was a weariness in his eyes that Peter had never seen before. Gone was the arrogant, confident expression replaced by an exhaustion that looked both physical and emotional. 

Peter realized he had been staring too long, and quickly moved away before Flash could discover that Spider-Man was seeing him during one of his more emotional moments. Peter quickly exited the building, making his way back to the bridge. He found a semi trailer that was Manhattan bound, and landed on the top of it. As he moved closer and closer to home, his mind kept coming back to Flash. There was a lot that suddenly made sense now; Flash's defensiveness over the medication, the look in his eyes when Peter had brought up his parents...it all added up. 

As much as he and Flash had had their disagreements, to say the least, Peter felt truly sorry for him for maybe the first time in his life. The question now was, what was he going to do about that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to decide if I want to fit everything into one more chapter or have a shorter second chapter after this to finish it out. Either way, we're almost there. Hope you guys liked it! 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! :) 
> 
> "Blessed is he who..." Psalm 41:1


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Peter, you alright?" M.J. asked. He looked up at her and saw a gentle look of concern on her face. 
> 
> "I'm fine," he said, a half-smile all he could muster.
> 
> "Are you hurt?" May asked, her look of concern a bit more prevalent than M.J.'s. 
> 
> "No May; my body has already handled any of the minor hits I took back there," he assured her. 
> 
> "Then what's up?" May persisted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter talks with M.J. and May, and M.J. has a unique heart to heart with Deja.

After finding the clothes he had earlier left the apartment in and changing back into them, Peter made his way up to the front door of his apartment, letting himself in. He found M.J. and May in the kitchen, talking about nothing in particular. 

"Hey Pete," May said, still her usual upbeat self despite how late it was getting. "How'd it go?" 

"I stopped him," Peter said, but his mind was still elsewhere as he set his keys and backpack down in their usual places. Looking around for the first time, he noticed Ned and Betty were already gone. "Where'd Betty and Ned go?" he asked. 

"Peter, you were gone for over 4 hours," May said. "I told them to go ahead home and not to worry about you." 

Peter hadn't even realized how long the whole ordeal had taken. First meeting with Yuri, then fighting Sandman, then taking that guy to the hospital...his thoughts stayed in place once again when he remembered what he saw at the hospital. 

"Peter, you alright?" M.J. asked. He looked up at her and saw a gentle look of concern on her face. 

"I'm fine," he said, a half-smile all he could muster.

"Are you hurt?" May asked, her look of concern a bit more prevalent than M.J.'s. 

"No May; my body has already handled any of the minor hits I took back there," he assured her. 

"Then what's up?" May persisted. 

Peter stood still for a minute, eyes staring up at nothing in particular, thinking of how to answer the question. After a moment, he shuffled over to have a seat at the counter next to M.J. 

"When I was at the hospital taking care of a civilian, I saw Flash there," he said. 

"Flash? Is he alright?" May asked as she folded up the washrag she had been using a minute ago. 

"He seems fine, yeah," Peter said, still not quite making eye contact with either May or M.J. "He was in a room with who I'm guessing is his mom. She was hooked up to so many machines..." 

"I'd never heard anything about something like that in school," M.J. said. 

"I have a feeling Flash meant it to be exactly that way," Peter said, turning his head to face her. "The other day, I was helping him pick some stuff up that he had dropped, and there was a medicine bottle there that he didn't take too kindly to me noticing. I later found out it was a heart medication." 

There was a silence in the room for a moment, before he continued: "I've been so angry with him for so long, but now...I actually feel sorry for him." 

"Sounds like he could really use a friend," May said, and the look on her face was not lost on Peter. It was a look she had given him many a time before; it was a look of expectancy. It was look that assured him of what he already knew; that he should act.

"I wouldn't even know where to start," Peter said. He hated how defeated his voice sounded, but he couldn't help it. Flash had never been even remotely like a friend to him, and it had already been made clear that he was to stay out of stuff that wasn't his business. 

"Look, Peter," May started, leaning her elbows on the counter, "I'm not expecting you to just magically bury your history with him. There's a lot that I'm still holding out hope that he'll apologize to you for one day. You've always been one to try and do the right thing, and I'm so proud of you for that. However, it can't just be for your friends or some random person you meet out there on patrol." 

Peter's eyes retreated from May's for a moment, looking towards the far side of the counter top. She was right. What was he saying--she was basically always right. It was a funny thing; he had not hesitated to save Adrian Toomes from a fire, and he had even tried to reach out to Sandman tonight, but when it came to Flash, he felt at a loss. Maybe part of it was that he wasn't overly fond of the idea of trying to play nice with the guy who had been bullying him ever since their first days at Midtown. However, he just might have the power to make even the smallest difference as that same guy went through a very difficult experience, and with great power...

"I'll do my best, but I'm still not sure it will do any good," Peter said. May simply smiled and gave a nod. 

"Well, now that I know my boyfriend isn't dead from fighting a crazy guy made of sand, I think I'm going to turn in," M.J. said, stretching her arms out over her head. 

"It's still a little early for the most notorious night owl in Manhattan," Peter teased, giving her a look. "What's got you so exhausted?" 

"I just have something to do tomorrow," M.J. replied. "I'll talk to you about it in the morning." 

When she didn't return Peter's teasing, he recognized that whatever this was must've been important to her, so he dropped it. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and they wished each other goodnight. 

"Well, I guess I'll think about hitting the hay myself," May said, turning to walk out of the kitchen. 

"Hold on May," Peter said, causing his aunt to freeze in her tracks and her gaze to focus entirely on him. "There's something else I want to say." 

"Okay," she said, turning her whole body to face him now, once again placing her elbows on the counter top. 

"I also learned some stuff about Sandman and what kind of a life he had growing up. I tried to reach out to him, but he wouldn't listen," Peter explained. 

"Oh Peter, I'm sorry," May offered kindly. 

"It's just..." Peter started, trying to find his words once again. "I've just noticed so much going on with Flash, Sandman, people at the community center. I see how people often turn out when someone isn't there to help them. These last several years, you've sacrificed so much for my sake and asked for nothing return. I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you, and that I wish there were more people like you in the world." 

May's smile was beaming now, but also a little bit sympathetic. "Well, there's two sides to that, Peter," she replied. 

"What do you mean?" Peter asked, his eyes narrowed towards his aunt a little in confusion. 

"All those people you mentioned, they may not have had someone in their lives, but they still had to make choices," May clarified. "At the end of the day, they are still responsible for their actions, just like you are for yours. You've lost so much, but none of it has stopped you from doing the right thing. I couldn't be more proud of you, Peter." 

"Thanks, May," Peter said, his voice quiet but just loud enough to make sure May heard him. "Well, I guess I'll turn in too." 

He got up from his seat, and May walked around and pulled him into a hug. "I love you sweetie," May said, her voice carrying all the motherly love Peter had known in it. 

"I love you too," Peter replied. They then went their separate ways for the evening, and Peter brushed his teeth, changed into something that was more comfortable to sleep in, and got out his mattress he had been using and set it down in the middle of the living room floor. 

Within a minute of laying down in it, he was fast asleep. 

"You ready?" Peter asked. 

"I think so," M.J. said, even more uncertain in her mind than in her words. Peter had walked with her to the front door of the community center, during which she had laid out what she felt she needed to do in order to win Deja over, based off May's advice. She practically had a script for how the whole thing was going to go in her mind, but what if the girl reacted differently than she thought? What if she just pushed her away harder? 

She was brought back to reality as she felt a gentle squeeze on her left hand. 

"Hey, you got this," Peter said. His voice was filled with confidence in her, and she took a breath as if to let every bit of that confidence into her nostrils and lungs. 

"You're right, I got this," she affirmed. She gave Peter a quick peck on the lips before turning and walking through the front door, not even bothering to look back for fear that it would make her second guess herself...again. 

She quickly spotted Deja, sitting in her usual seat no less. "Just be yourself," she in her mind. She walked up behind Deja, quickly taking notice of the math homework the girl was working on. 

"Excuse me, but I think you forgot to carry the 1 on that one," M.J. said abruptly, sticking her hand down to the piece of paper and pointing to the spot she was referring to. The girl didn't even turn around, but did go back and make the necessary correction. 

"Girl, you can't be so sloppy like that in life," M.J. said, plopping herself down in the seat next to the girl like it was where she always belonged. "You have to earn it all, and mistakes like that won't help you, that's for sure." 

"Look," the girl said, setting her pencil down and folding her fingers together on the table. "I don't know you, but I don't need you. I can take care of myself," the little girl said with a surprising amount of confidence and a bit of a smug look on her face. 

"Oh sure, sure," M.J. said, her own deadpan look unwavering. 

"What, you don't think I can?" the little girl questioned, now seeming to get a little upset. 

"I KNOW you can't," M.J. answered back. She was trying to keep her look from growing too intimidating, but it was beginning to feel like her facial expressions were on autopilot, along with her mind. 

"And just why is that, exactly?" Deja replied. M.J. had to give the girl credit; she wasn't backing down. 

"Because you're trying to do it alone," M.J. responded, as if it should be obvious. 

"I don't need anyone but myself," the girl said, her sass level growing by the minute. 

"Fine," M.J. said, narrowing her eyes at the girl before continuing, "but when your life is nothing but a gloomy pit of despair and darkness with no way out, don't say I didn't warn you." 

It was then that M.J. noticed just the faintest cracks in the girl's hardened facade. Her plan was working. 

"People do nothing but let other people down," the girl said, sounding almost like she was trying to remind herself why she was this way. "Less people, less problems." 

"Oh, that last part is true, believe me," M.J. said, and the girl's eyes seemed to focus in on hers as she continued. "Most people definitely let us down. My whole life has seen that." 

"Then what's your point?" the little girl asked. There was annoyance in her question, but also curiosity. 

"Like I said, you can't do it alone," M.J. said. 

"But you just told me people let you down all your life," the girl said, her face now the epitome of confusion. 

"No, I said MOST people have let me down," M.J. corrected. "But, there are some people I've met that I can actually count on. I didn't just pick anybody though; I was very thorough. Everybody had to pass a serious list of requirements before they could be my friend." 

"What kind of requirements?" the girl asked. 

M.J. smiled, then reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it up to her, giving Deja a little side eye with just the faintest glimmer of a smile showing through on her lips. 

"Number 1: when I am reading, I am not to be interrupted, unless it is a life or death situation." 

M.J. couldn't believe it at first, but Deja actually let out just the faintest sound of a chuckle when she had finished reading the first rule. She shifted her gaze to the girl, who did a not so good job of trying to hide it. 

"Number 2: if someone wants to be my friend, they are never to force me to do anything remotely associated with physical activity, accept for walking." 

Another chuckle. It was working. 

M.J. continued on, reading off a few more on the list. "However," she said, "the most important one of all is the last one." 

"What does that one say?" the girl asked, now completely absorbed in whatever M.J. had to say next. 

"Number 23: no one in my life, absolutely NO ONE, is allowed to be fake with me." At this, M.J. noticed the girl's eyes shifted down and a frown formed on her face. 

"What's the frown for?" M.J. asked, her tone letting up for the first time in several minutes. 

"Everyone at school treats me that way; even my mom. She says she loves me, but she's never there," the girl admitted. 

"Well," M.J. said as she folded the paper and stuffed it back in her jacket pocket. "Let me tell you something: that's not your fault." 

"It's not?" the girl questioned, and M.J. swore her heart was going to shatter into a million pieces right then and there. Had this girl really believed that?" 

"No," M.J. stated point blank. "I mean, you're not exactly perfect either, but none of us are, and that's the point: we shouldn't have to be for other people to appreciate us." 

"Yeah," Deja replied, still sounding a little down. 

"Look, I can't do anything about them, but I can tell you now: I will never be fake with you. I'll always tell it like it is," M.J. said. 

"You mean it?" the girl asked, and M.J. detected hope in the look she gave. 

"Absolutely," M.J. replied. 

They spent the next 2 hours working on homework, discussing inspiring women, and talking about how ridiculous boys could be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! 
> 
> There will be one more chapter, which I don't anticipate being very wrong; it'll just be dealing with Peter and Flash meeting as well as Peter and M.J.'s second test bet. Stay tuned though, because I will include some hints of the immediate future of the series in my notes there ;)
> 
> Stay safe and healthy! 
> 
> "As iron sharpens iron..." Proverbs 27:17


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Weren't you guys up late studying for that thing last night?" Mrs. Jones said as she gathered her stuff to leave for work. 
> 
> "This is an important test, mom," M.J. said, not even looking away from the equations she was glancing over. 
> 
> "Oh yeah, why is that?" May said as she came downstairs and headed towards the door, also about to leave for work. 
> 
> "First, this test is legendary for being very difficult," Peter clarified. "The average grade in a class for it is about 15 points lower than other tests, and..." He pointed to M.J, who, once again keeping her eyes trained to her notes, took that as her cue to finish the explanation. 
> 
> "Peter and I's next date choice hangs in the balance as well," M.J. added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter: Peter vs. M.J. in Chemistry, and Peter reaches out to Flash.

Monday morning finally arrived, and Peter got up quickly. He had spent most of the previous night studying for his upcoming chemistry test, but he had a surprising amount of energy despite operating on so little sleep. He quickly changed and got ready for school before grabbing some muffins that M.J.'s mom had made that morning. As he ate, he pulled out his chemistry notes to take one last quick look at them. He was soon joined by M.J, who also grabbed a quick bite before taking the seat next to Peter and studying her own notes. Peter registered all this just out of the corner of his eye, refusing to take his eyes off his notes. 

"Weren't you guys up late studying for that thing last night?" Mrs. Jones said as she gathered her stuff to leave for work. 

"This is an important test, mom," M.J. said, not even looking away from the equations she was glancing over. 

"Oh yeah, why is that?" May said as she came downstairs and headed towards the door, also about to leave for work. 

"First, this test is legendary for being very difficult," Peter clarified. "The average grade in a class for it is about 15 points lower than other tests, and..." He pointed to M.J, who, once again keeping her eyes trained to her notes, took that as her cue to finish the explanation. 

"Peter and I's next date choice hangs in the balance as well," M.J. added. 

"Well...you two have fun with that," May added, and Peter could feel the two women rolling their eyes at him and M.J. Still, the two of them kept studying, not saying a word to each other until they realized it was time to leave. They put their notes away, grabbed their backpacks and quickly headed out the door. 

"Ready to lose this time?" M.J. said, breaking the silence as they walked along. 

"Not on your life," Peter answered, refusing to back down. "I just hope you can handle a second defeat. It might be too much for even the great Michelle Jones to handle."

"The great Michelle Jones never loses twice," M.J. countered. "You might as well accept defeat now, Parker." 

"Never," Peter firmly answered. "A real Parker never quits." 

M.J. suddenly stopped abruptly, causing Peter to stop as well. She had her head tilted back and was giving him an inquisitive look. 

"Is that a Kung Fu Panda reference?" she asked. 

"Ah, I see your training has paid off," Peter said, doing a mock bow with his hands folded together. 

"Whatever, I knew that one even before we watched it together," M.J. retorted. 

"Uh huh, sure," Peter fired back, giving her a smug look that earned a scrunched face and a punch on the arm from his girlfriend in return. 

They finally arrived at school, still with 5 minutes to spare. Peter went to his locker, grabbing the necessary things he needed, as M.J. leaned against the lockers next to his, having already had everything she needed. As Peter closed his locker, he caught sight of Flash at his own locker. He was looking down at the ground, but Peter couldn't quite tell his expression. 

"M.J. you go ahead; I have something I have to do first," Peter said, gesturing his head in the direction of Flash. M.J. glanced over towards Flash's direction, then gave a gentle smile and a low nod before turning to class. Peter closed his locker, took a breath, and walked towards Flash. He had no idea what he was going to say, or how he could even say anything without giving away how he might know. Flash didn't see him then, but Spider-Man being at the hospital had not escaped the local news, so that information was bound to reach him at some point. 

"Hey man," Peter said, settling for casual at first. 

"What do you want, Parker?" Flash responded, not even turning around to face him. Peter could sense the faintest sense of hurt behind the harshness of his voice. 

"Look man, I'm sorry about accidentally stumbling on what I did the other day. I just..." 

"Forget it," Flash said, slamming his locker shut. He tried to walk away, but Peter stepped in front of him, cutting him off. He didn't know exactly what prompted him to do that, if he was being honest. 

"Get out of my way," Flash growled. 

"No; you're going to let me say something first," Peter said, surprised a little by the firmness in his own voice. Nevertheless, he continued: "I just want to say that, as far as I'm concerned, our history is dead and buried, so if you ever need someone to talk to, about anything, I'm here." Peter turned and started to walk away; he was nervous his resolve would leave him if he stayed to see Flash's reaction. 

"Parker!" 

Peter stopped, turning his body halfway back to face Flash. 

"Why are you doing this?" Flash asked, and Peter could see the shock in his eyes. 

"Because no one, not even you, should go through hard times alone. The choice is yours, Flash." With that, Peter turned and walked away. He had done what he could, the rest was up to Flash. 

Peter took his seat just before the bell rang. He took one last glance at M.J, who met his gaze. As the teacher began with the formalities of the start of class, he decided to be a good sport before they were given the tests. He mouthed the words "good luck" to her, and surprisingly, she mouthed "you too" right back at him, offering a gentle smile as well. Next thing they knew, the tests were on their desk. Peter took quite a while on the test, using most of the period to get it done and double check as much of his work as he could. He finished it just a few minutes before the bell rang, indicating it was time to go to their next class. 

"So how do you feel about it?" M.J. asked as they walked out of the room. 

"Pretty good," Peter answered. "#10 kind of tripped me up a little at first, but I think I figured it out." 

"Yeah, #7 did that for me, but I think I cracked it," M.J. replied. 

"Guess we'll find out tomorrow," Peter said. 

The wait felt like it took forever, but the next day eventually did come, and once again the bell rang for first period. 

"Well class, I have the results from your tests," the teacher announced, beginning to hand them out. "Some of you did pretty well. Others...not as much, but we'll work on that." 

Peter got his test, and was pretty happy with the result. He glanced over at M.J, who smiled a mischievous smile at him. His confidence didn't waver though; as difficult as that test had been, there was NO WAY she had gotten a better grade than him. No way. 

After the bell rang, Peter and M.J. walked out, and were quickly met by Ned and Betty. 

"I thought you guys were annoyed by us doing this again?" Peter questioned them. 

"Yeah, but curiosity got the best of us," Betty said. 

"Well, don't keep us in suspense," Ned said impatiently. 

"You first this time," M.J. challenged. 

"Alright, well, I did set the bar pretty high if I do say so myself," Peter said. He turned over his test to reveal his score: 95. 

"You got a 95 on that test!" Betty exclaimed. "NOBODY does that well on that one!" 

"Except for me," M.J. added, turning over her paper to reveal her own score: 98. 

Peter's jaw dropped, his eyes narrowing on the number. He thought for sure he had this one in the bag, just like the last one. 

"Wow, I have to admit, this does feel pretty good," M.J. said, the biggest smirk ever on her face. 

Peter finally picked up his jaw from the floor, taking a deep sigh. "Well, looks like you win," he said, offering his hand for congratulations, which M.J. formally accepted. "So, what will it be then?" 

"Oh, I don't know just yet," M.J. replied, putting her test in her backpack. "I have an idea or two, but this is a big opportunity. I want to make sure I absolutely take full advantage of it." With that, she walked away. 

Peter sighed, shaking his head before turning to Ned and Betty, who both still had shocked looks on their faces. 

"Well, guess I can't win them all," he said before walking to his next class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter was short, but I couldn't figure out a really good way to make these events fit into the previous chapter. Hope you all liked this story! Please feel free to let me know your thoughts. At this point, I've written 4 multi-chapter stories and a few one shots, so I definitely would like to know if I am improving or not! 
> 
> Some thoughts as to the future: when it comes to the rest of this series, I basically have the gist of it planned out. The next installment in this series will be a Valentine's-centric story. It will focus on how Peter and the gang deal with Betty's growing realization they are keeping something from her, Happy trying to come back into the picture with May, all while Peter tries to plan the perfect day for M.J. 
> 
> I am also juggling a couple other ideas not related to his series as well. One of them is to write something related to the PS4 videogame Spidey, thought I'm not 100% sure what it would look like. My other idea is to do a separate story featuring the MCU Spidey, but where some things would be changed up/switched around. Basically, I'd be picking and choosing elements from the MCU and the comics, particularly the Ultimate comics, and just all meshing it together. I would be working on this next project in conjunction with my next story in this series. If you guys have a preference between which of these ideas you would like to see, please let me know. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has left comments and kudos! I deeply appreciate the support you all have shown in my writing over these last 4 months, and I hope I can continue to write stories deserving of your reading. 
> 
> Stay safe and healthy everyone! 
> 
> "Anyone who claims..." 1 John 2:9-11

**Author's Note:**

> So, some things about this one: 
> 
> I don't intend to make it as heavy as the last two. After emotionally exhausting myself after Extinction in particularly, I look forward to writing something a little more fun. 
> 
> There are a couple of things I want to get back to in this story: the first is that we will be back in the lab some more, looking at what Dr. Connors is really working on. Second, I intend to come back to M.J. volunteering at the community center, with Peter joining her this time on some occasions. I really want to get back to exploring her heart for helping others and what really drives her character, so you can expect some parts from her perspective. 
> 
> I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter. What do you guys think? 
> 
> Stay Safe and Healthy everyone! 
> 
> "I lie down and sleep; I wake again..." Psalm 3:5-6


End file.
